Burn (NSFW)
by hananokaze
Summary: "Don't fucking touch me." Todoroki and Bakugou stood in shock at the cutting edge in their friend's voice—her eyes which always held nothing but warmth were now filled with pain and rage. These are the chronicles of Akarui Jin, an aspiring hero. She had come to love UA... until a traumatic event nobody could have foreseen scarred her forever. Can the two boys help heal her again?
1. Prologue - Akarui Jin

"Don't fucking touch me," Jin snarled, lashing out at her two classmates, summoning a monstrous block of gravel from the ground towards them.

"Stop, this isn't you," Shouto said calmly after dodging the attack, without letting his guard down. Frost began to travel up his right arm, while small flames emerged in the palm of his left hand.

Jin's eyes narrowed at him through her black bangs, tinged with sweat.

"And how would you know what's me and what's not?" she jeered, the veins in her toned forearms becoming prominent, as she prepared to activate her Quirk again. "You don't know shit about what I've been through."

"BECAUSE WHO ELSE WOULD, IF IT'S NOT US YOU FUCKIN' IDIOT!" Bakugou roared, his eyes seeing red at his classmate's cold response. "YOU'RE ALWAYS TELLIN' ME TO CALM DOWN BECAUSE I'M BETTER THAN THAT OR SOME SHIT, SO WHY WON'T YOU TAKE YOUR OWN DAMN ADVICE, HUH?!"

Bakugou knew that he and Todoroki have stood side-by-side fighting villains before, but never in his wildest dreams, would he have ever thought he would have to face the only girl he's ever cared about.

"OI, SNAP OUT OF IT, WILL YOU?" Bakugou screeched again at Jin's silence, his voice just barely laced with desperation.

Bakugou's futile plea was responded with blocks of concrete shooting towards him, one of which just barely grazed his bare shoulder.

"You piss me off," Jin sneered.

Todoroki noticed the blonde boy's shoulders slouch slightly as he heaved for air, knowing just as well as Bakugou did that they were running out of time.

"Jin, please, listen to me," Shouto attempted to reason with her. "I'm sorry we couldn't do anything for you, but you have to tell us how we can help you now."

Jin laughed bitterly.

"Help?"

She cackled again, louder and louder until tears brimmed her eyes, smearing her makeup.

"HELP?" she howled psychotically like a hyena, unable to catch her breath from laughing.

She took a deep breath and looked Shouto dead in the eye.

"I gave up on the idea of help a long time ago," she said, spitting the words in his face.

"It's not too late," Shouto persisted, almost begging at this point. "I don't want to lose you—"

"It's centuries too late," Jin said quietly.

Shouto's memories of him and Jin flashed before his eyes.

Images of him and Jin studying together, sharing inside jokes, and comforting each other flickered through his mind like a broken movie projector.

His thoughts were cut off by dozens of sharp, concrete daggers flying towards him at the speed of light through the air.

"Goodbye, Shouto."

* * *

Meet the OC (Author's note at the bottom)

 **Personal Information**

Name: Akarui Jin

Age: x [aged up because of what happens later on, open for interpretation]

Birthday: May 18

Zodiac: Taurus

Gender: Female

Blood Type: A

Quirk: Earth

Affiliation: U.A.

Class: 1-A

 **Physical Appearance**

Height: 165 cm (5'5")

Skin tone: Warm beige

Eye color: Brown

Hair style: Long, black wavy hair tinted brown at the ends + front bangs

Scars: None

Piercings: Two on each earlobe

 **Clothing**

Style: Comfortable, trendy, edgy

Common accessories: A watch, (Jin likes always knowing what time it is), a hair tie (she hates fighting with hair in her face), gloves (to protect her hands from getting too many cuts from her Quirk)

School uniform: Short-sleeve button-up collared shirt, black or red tie, green plaid skirt, black tights, black boots or sneakers

Hero costume: Follows a brown, earthy theme to reflect her Quirk—brown jacket with tan sleeves, cropped, chocolate brown collared top with two hanging buckle-like harnesses, beige high-waisted shorts with a tool bag attached to the right thigh, black/white gloves, uneven fishnet socks held up by garters on the left leg, and brown boots with a small heel

 **Personality**

General: Appears cold & intimidating, but actually very warm & friendly once people talk to her; intelligent but a bit lazy at times; is loyal, down-to-earth, thoughtful, loving, ambitious, kind, and charismatic, but also can be stubborn, insecure, envious, and harsh—both on herself and other people

Strengths: Cares a lot for people, compassionate, and very likable as people easily gravitate towards her

Weaknesses: A bit too soft at heart despite cold appearance, confident but wavers when compared to other people, gets lonely easily, too cynical & negative sometimes when it comes to herself

Goals: To become a famous hero who does justice, brings an end to sadness, and is able to support her own family financially

Fears: Close-range combat, bugs (despite having an earth quirk), losing loved ones, being abandoned, failure

Likes: Food (especially fatty carbs and desserts), the sound and smell of rain, cafes and bakeries, watching the sunrise/sunset, spending quality time with family/friends

Dislikes: People who are arrogant, aerobic exercise, eggplant

Skills/hobbies: Surprisingly very talented in the arts, enjoys music and dance in her spare time

Quirks: Has a secret talent for imitating people, wiggling her ears, and burping abnormally loudly

 **Health**

Physical health: Overall quite fit, but not nearly enough to be a professional hero just yet

Mental health: Generally healthy, but thinks a bit too much & gets anxious/sad easily sometimes—it's especially unhealthy when she puts it away & hides it to avoid worrying others, resulting in self-isolation

Sleeping habits: Tries to sleep early & get up early to watch the sunrise, but consistently sleeps extremely late and gets up around noon if there are no commitments (i.e. school) the next day

Eating habits: Skips meals due to busy schedule and overeats when finally given the opportunity, but acknowledges the unhealthy nature of these habits

 **Quirk**

Quirk name: Earth

Explanation: Essentially Earth-bending—is able to manipulate the earth, dirt & soil with hands

Fighting range: Long-distance

Strength: Very versatile & general Quirk, can be used offensively & defensively, has the potential to be very powerful

Weakness: Drains body's physical energy quickly when overused, resulting in being unable to maximize the Quirk's full potential; easily harms body with sand/rocks in the earth by scratching the skin's surface—especially if Quirk is used brashly/spontaneously

 **Ratings**

Physical strength: 3.5/5

Psychological strength: 4/5

Leadership skills: 4/5

Cooperation: 5/5

Intelligence: 4/5

Confidence: 4/5

Endurance: 2.5/5

 **Themes**

Quote: "Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it."

Song: "King" by Lauren Aquilina

Color scheme: Black, white, grey (also likes lavender, maroon & navy blue)

Friends: Tend to be supportive, reasonable, have good intentions, funny, open-minded

* * *

Author's note:

Hi everyone! Welcome to my BNHA story. For Unwavering readers, fear not, for I have not abandoned the story! I hit a block (an obstacle?) when writing for it trying to decide how canon I wanted to make the story, so I'm still in the process of working it out—but don't worry, I will try to update it when I have the chance! For now, I wanted to kick-start this story for BNHA I've been thinking about for a while.

One thing I'm excited for in this story is that I'm going to try to incorporate fashion into it! I thought dressing up my character would be super fun, and help you all visualize the story a bit better, but I'll only be able to insert those pictures on Wattpad (so feel free to head on over to check it out if you're from FanFiction net!).

I thought this was interesting but the character design for Jin is a bit similar character from Unwavering, but Jin's is a bit more well-thought out—I've come to realize that I'm projecting traits that I've always wanted onto my OCs, haha.

I don't have a lot written for the plot yet, but I thought I'd publish this character introduction to get me going, and hopefully fuel my motivation a bit. This is also my first time writing for three main characters of interest (Todoroki, Bakugo, Dabi), but hey, it's fan fiction, so I'm just here to let my imagination run wild. I really really hope you guys like it! Feel free to ask me any questions you might have, or just leave me a nice little comment if you feel like it :) Thanks everyone!


	2. Thawing Ice

Chapter song: "Girls Like You" by Maroon 5

"I need a girl like you."

* * *

Akarui Jin, the girl who her classmates said seemed intimidating upon first meeting her due to her initial stand-offish nature, stood outside the waiting room door, wavering. She had no problem interacting with most of her classmates, but it was particularly difficult with two people—Bakugo Katsuki and Todoroki Shoto; of course, the former was easily understandable… nobody exactly had an easy time interacting with Bakugo, that was a given. But Todoroki was trickier, because Jin admired him as a student and aspiring hero—not to mention he was attractive. Although it hasn't been that long since they all enrolled in U.A., it should have been established that the 1-A class was now on relatively friendly terms with each other—there was always something about competing with other classes that brought out the pride in one's own class. Jin was relieved that she was on friendly terms with Todoroki, as he was a polite and good person, just slightly lacking in social skills. Still, if she wanted to be closer with him, then she'd have to put in the effort.

Jin took a deep breath and knocked on the door before her, before prompting the response of a familiar voice, saying, "Come in." She slid the door open, despite feeling nervous, and acted as naturally as she could. Todoroki Shoto sat at the long wooden table, his fingers interlaced with each other as his chin rested on them. However, he immediately stood up at the sight of Jin standing in the doorway.

"Hey," she greeted, smiling warmly. "Congrats on winning against Deku—but damn, neither of you guys held back, did you? I just wanted to see how you were doing." Jin wanted to visit her freckled, green-haired friend as soon as she saw him lose against Todoroki in their one-against-one match during the sports festival, but knew it wasn't a good idea while he was getting treated by Recovery Girl. After all, she'd just been there for her own injuries in the match that she'd lost—a thought she tried not to go back to too much… it was embarrassing.

"Thanks," Todoroki murmured, smiling softly at her until his eyes landed on her bandaged arms. "I'm sorry, I should be the one to visit you since you were injured after your battle too." Jin just laughed.

"That makes no sense, Todoroki," she giggled, ignoring the burning pain in her arms. Recovery Girl did a spectacular job healing her, but it didn't exactly ease _all_ of the pain.

"Why would you come visit me when you're facing off against Bakugo soon?" she pointed out. "You're too nice, and I'm fine anyway. Bless Recovery Girl's soul, seriously."

"You… did well," he said quietly, looking away as he rubbed his neck, his deep red hair falling over his scarred eye. Jin blinked in surprise.

"You watched me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh man," Jin groaned. "I'm so sorry, no one deserves to see that. I hate losing, but I guess I didn't expect to win either."

"You were fine," Todoroki reassured awkwardly. Jin almost found his awkwardness endearing—it was like he didn't know how to interact with a girl, but at the same time still managed to remain reserved and respectful.

"Thanks then," she grinned. Jin stayed silent for a bit as she tucked her long black hair behind her ear and fixed her bangs, following Todoroki as he beckoned for them to sit down and talk. Mulling over the next question she wanted to ask him, she decided to just go for it.

"I saw that you used your left side earlier… you wanna talk about it?" Jin asked gently, genuinely wanting to check up on her friend. "I know you briefly mentioned your hatred towards your father to me a couple times, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay—you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Funny how she could feel comfortable around someone she saw as a friend nowadays, but still be nervous around him.

"No, it's okay," Todoroki reaffirmed. "I wouldn't mind telling you about it, but I just haven't quite figured it out myself either." Jin nodded and listened intently.

"Using my fire abilities just remind me of how much I hate that bastard and what he's done to my mother, but today, Midoriya's words somehow struck a chord within me…" Todoroki explained, rubbing his neck again. He told Jin in more detail about what really happened in his childhood and his past, including why Endeavor married Todoroki's mother to begin with. Jin covered her mouth as her eyes grew glassy once her friend admitted to her how he obtained the scar on his left eye, causing him to stop.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Are _you_ okay?" she asked in return, dabbing at the tears near her tear ducts. "I'm just… I'm so sorry Todoroki—I didn't know. No one should have to go through that."

"I've grown to accept it," he replied, handing her a tissue swiftly. "Don't worry about me; like I said, today was different. I suddenly remembered my mother telling me that it was alright to use my left side because I wanted to be a hero—and so I did."

They were quiet for a bit.

"Do you ever miss her?" Jin asked softly, breaking the silence.

"All the time," Todoroki confessed. "But I feel as if I don't deserve to miss her, because I was the source of all her pain and suffering."

"You weren't the source, and none of this is your fault," Jin said sternly, looking him in the eyes. "Your father is responsible for all his horrible actions, and just because you were caught up in it doesn't mean you did anything wrong—please don't blame yourself for things you couldn't control."

Todoroki was speechless for once, letting her words sink in. How did they even start talking about his past in so much detail? This never happened with anyone before. It was just strangely easy to talk to Akarui Jin, even if he didn't think much about it previously. She had just been another classmate to him—sure, one that made more of an effort to reach out and include him in social events, but he never considered them to be as close as they were acting in this moment. How interesting.

"Thank you," he murmured, looking down at his hands, still thinking about everything that's happened leading up to now. Jin blushed at his words, heart speeding up because he seemed genuine in his thanks, but also happy that she could help in some way or another.

"Of course," she said as sincerely as she can, beaming at him to lighten the mood. "Don't think about it too much and stress yourself out, just do what feels right—I know you'll figure it out." Todoroki smiled at her in return—she looked nice when she smiled.

Jin looked down at her watch, realizing that it was almost time for Bakugo and Todoroki's match. She stood up from her seat, indicating that it was time for her to leave.

"I'm gonna go check on Bakugo real quick," she announced as Todoroki stood up as well. "I was going to stop by earlier but I wanted to see how you were doing first." He simply nodded in response, walking her to the door. He was quiet, and Jin couldn't tell if he was still worried, confused, or frustrated, even. Carefully studying him, Jin decided to put aside her pride and awkwardness and offer him a hug.

She opened her arms and pulled him into her embrace when he didn't object.

"Good luck later Todoroki, you'll be great," she encouraged. "I'll be watching the two of you—everything's gonna turn out fine." As she pulled away, she almost wanted to laugh at the furious blush that had crept up on the usually calm and aloof Todoroki's face, but also hoped she wasn't coming off too strong.

"Thank… you," he said coolly, looking away. "Rest up and don't strain yourself too much, especially when talking to Bakugo."

"I'll try not to," she laughed, appreciating that the collected and composed Todoroki had a sense of humor.

"Also, Jin…" he began, trailing off. "You can call me Shoto if you want."

Jin blinked at the sound of her name rolling off his lips. It sounded nice. Why did it suddenly feel like he never said her name out loud?

"I like both, honestly," she giggled. "One feels like we're bros and the other feels more intimate. Thanks for granting me permission though, haha." With that, she walked away briskly, not wanting to run out of time before she squeezed a few words in with Bakugou. Todoroki watched the lean girl speed walk down the hall, thinking to himself why there are even people as nice as her who exist on Earth. And then there was his father.

Shaking the infuriating thoughts away, he closed the door with a soft smile thinking about his conversation with Jin. What an interesting girl.

* * *

"Can I come in?" Jin asked after knocking on the door to Bakugo's waiting room.

"What do you want?" the blonde-haired boy asked gruffly as he slid open the door immediately.

"Damn, that was fast," she joked. "Were you waiting for me or something?"

"Why the hell would I wait for you?" Bakugo stormed back into the room, leaving the door open as Jin invited herself in and sat down at the long wooden table identical to the one in Todoroki's room.

She wasn't going to lie, Bakugo was also someone that she hoped to be closer with. Despite his problematic personality and character traits at times, she admired him for his intelligence and power; she thought he was a good fighter, and his heart was in the right place, even if he always puts on a tough-guy act. Perhaps she was also flattered that Kirishima briefly mentioned that Bakugo thought she was "cool" (in other words, simply less annoying than the rest of the class), making it easier to feel confident while talking to him. Sure, sometimes interacting with him felt like talking to a grumpy rat, but at least she knew that he would hear what she was saying—even if he didn't show it. Hell, maybe that was even the standard for being friends with Bakugo Katuski—when he tolerates you being around him and you're still not dead.

"Just wanted to check on you before your match, damn," she disclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"Fucking great," he spat. "I knew I was gonna win anyway, so I don't know why those losers are giving me so much shit over the Uraraka girl."

"Well I mean it was pretty intense to watch—everything looked like it hurt," Jin admitted. "But Ochako really gave it her all, so I think it was only fair and respectful to her that you didn't 'go easy on her' or whatever."

"Hmph," Bakugo snorted, not saying a thing.

"I thought you did well though, as always," Jin slipped in a compliment, knowing it probably made him feel better. He would never know or admit it, but she could really read him like a book sometimes. Maybe it was the overly-predictable act of fragile masculinity that was just so easy to deconstruct.

Bakugo simply grunted in response, finally looking at her after he was pacing back and forth angrily this whole time.

"So are you alright or what?" he growled roughly, seeing the bandages on her arm.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, stiffening up. Jin really prayed he didn't watch her battle, because she felt like he would belittle anyone who wasn't a victor, but he didn't say anything.

"Well you look like you're doing great," Jin said, getting up from her seat. "Just wanted to swing by and say good luck, I'll be watching you and Todoroki from the screen!"

"Yeah, watch me destroy that half-cold half-hot bastard's ass," he snarled, smiling. "He better use both of his powers on me too, or I'll fucking kill him."

"Well don't actually kill him," Jin said, patting Bakugo's shoulder and expecting him to recoil and yell at her. "I'd like to have both of you still alive so I can bother you guys like I am now."

But he didn't. He just scoffed, "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Good luck!" Jin called with a smile, closing the door behind her as she left.

After a few moments of silence by himself in the room, Bakugo's face untensed as he watched the seat that his classmate had just gotten up from. She probably didn't feel too great about losing her one-on-one battle, but still, watching her fight was kinda… _hot_. Bakugo immediately shook his head furiously back and forth.

 _What the hell are you thinking?_

Although it did feel nice to have someone visit him, especially since it wasn't someone who was so annoyingly loud, wouldn't shut up, and just on his back all the time… He smirked to himself as he thought about the way she told him 'good luck.'

As if he needed it—he'll show her, and the whole class too, what he's made of.

* * *

Author's note: Hi friends! I wasn't planning on writing anything until I had everything queued up & planned out, but I just couldn't wait since I had an extra two hours on my hands :') What do you guys think of the opening chapter? The chemistry? What are you looking forward to? I'd love to know! xoxo


	3. Encounter

[Fanfiction readers can head on over to Wattpad if you want to see Jin's outfit for each chapter!]

Chapter song: "I Don't Even Know Your Name" by Shawn Mendes

"I don't even know your name… all I remember is that smile on your face."

* * *

Stressful.

Watching Todoroki and Bakugou battle it out was stressful, to say the least.

Jin wasn't sure who she was rooting for, since both were her friends—she didn't want either of them to get hurt too badly, but she also knew that they had to fight with everything on the line to be satisfied with themselves, and also to be a sign of respect and acknowledgment of the other person.

She couldn't erase the image of Todoroki from her mind, left side ablaze, shocking the whole class and anyone else who knew about his adamance in defying his father. It was a sight to remember, as she'd never seen him burn with so much passion and determination.

That being said, it was quite shocking when Todoroki seemed to hesitate during his final blows with Bakugou—especially since his hesitation cost him the victory.

The blonde-haired boy, needless to say, was unsatisfied and furious. It was almost amusing to watch him be chained to the podium of supposed celebratory victory, if Jin didn't take into account how concerningly he strained himself in a futile attempt to break free, lashing out at anyone who tried to calm him down.

Jin couldn't dwell in her amusement for long, as she rushed to the infirmary as soon as the sports festival was over, eager to check on her "icy hot" friend.

As Jin walked briskly down the hallway to visit Todoroki, bowing quickly to the second-greatest hero Endeavor—otherwise known as Todoroki's father—who merely ignored her as she walked by, Jin thought about how much he seemed to change just within the short time frame of the sports festival.

She recalled thinking to herself how sad and lonely Todoroki looked as he fought Sero one-on-one. The poor boy didn't even have a chance to defend himself before Todoroki had blasted him with a mountain of ice enough to fill half the humongous stadium. The way he realized he'd gone overboard, though apologetic, left a gloomy impression on her.

She wondered if she was the only one who saw him that way.

 _Knock knock._

"Come in," Todoroki's familiar, deep voice rang out.

Jin slid the door open, relieved to see her friend looking physically fine.

Emotionally, though, he looked a bit off.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Y-yeah," he murmured, looking away.

"Congratulations on finishing," Jin piped cheerfully, hoping he wasn't feeling too down about losing to Bakugou. "You did really great."

"I still have a lot to work on," Todoroki sighed, though thanking her after.

They were quiet for a bit.

"Jin…" he started.

Jin looked up.

"I was thinking about what you said earlier," Todoroki said quietly, leveling her gaze to look into her brown eyes. "I think I'm going to go visit my mother for the first time."

Jin's jaw dropped.

"Really?" she exclaimed, making him nervous.

To his surprise, she beamed at him.

"I'm so happy to hear that!" she gushed. "I know it's probably really scary since you said you haven't seen her in a while, but I think it'll be good for you to get some closure with her. No mother could truly hate their son, and I'm sure she misses you and has a lot of things she'd want to tell you too."

"You… think so?"

"I do."

Todoroki smiled softly.

"Thank you."

Jin laughed, glad that his spirits seemed to be lifting.

How could they not? This must be a huge weight lifted off his shoulders if all goes well.

"No, thank _you_!" she emphasized, swatting her hands in the air.

"What are you thanking me for?" Todoroki asked, cocking his head to the side, confused.

"I mean, you pretty much carried me through the first half of the sports festival," Jin admitted, slightly ashamed. "And I still managed to lose my one-on-one match."

"I didn't carry you," he commented flatly. "You were a helpful part of our team, and I asked you to join us for that reason."

Jin thought back to her moment of panic when the announcer stated that they would have to split off into groups for the cavalry battle portion of the festival, absolutely mortified that she wouldn't have a group. She was never good at inserting herself into collaborative situations.

That was, until Todoroki tapped her and asked her if she could join him.

She'd never been happier to oblige, despite it all being a competition.

Noticing her skepticism-filled silence, Todoroki added, "I wanted you, specifically you, to be a part of my team—and I'm glad you said yes."

Jin blushed furiously as she couldn't contain her smile.

She looked up at him, making eye contact and realizing what a beautiful shade of blue and grey his eyes were.

This time, they both flushed a light shade of pink as they quickly looked away from each other.

"W-well, I'm gonna head out now!" Jin broke the silence, fumbling with her words a little. "Let me know how your visit with your mother goes; confrontation isn't easy, but I know you'll be okay."

"Thank you," Todoroki smiled. "I appreciate it… I'll text you."

They said their goodbyes briefly as Jin almost sprinted out of the room, as if afraid he would hear her heart pounding out of her chest.

Once she was a safe distance away from his room, she let out a deep breath of air.

She couldn't contain her giddiness at the fact that Todoroki said they would keep in touch, and that he appreciated her for helping him overcome his fear of confronting his mother after all this time.

Jin really did want the best for him, and she had faith that everything would turn out alright.

* * *

Surely enough, later that night, Jin's phone buzzed as she laid down on her bed, ready to relax.

It was from Todoroki.

She opened it, heart racing to see what he had to say.

[1 New] Todoroki Shouto - 21:09

"It went well. Thank you."

Jin breathed another sigh of relief for him before texting him back, claiming that she knew all along that he would be okay. She was happy for him.

Remembering what she needed to do earlier, she quickly typed up a new text message.

To: Bakugou Katsuki

"Congrats on 1st place today! Get some rest, you wild animal LOL"

She attached an image of the hot-headed teen seething with fury when chained to the podium earlier in the day—Jin had screenshotted it off one of the news outlets' websites, cackling to herself.

* * *

A couple weeks passed, and class 1-A was back in business.

The students had all received internship offers following the sports festival that showcased their abilities to pro heroes and businesses alike.

Jin was happy for her friends doing impressive things on their own, all while being able to travel and gather new experiences along the way of studying.

She had chosen to intern at the office of a pro hero whose headquarters happened to be local; it made the most sense, since the name was good, yet she could still live at home to save money on living expenses, all while being familiar with the city.

Her parents worried easily, especially after watching her performance at the sports festival, so she thought it was best to not be so hasty to go far from home. They were the type of parents that needed some reassurance and a resting period before feeling at peace with their daughter being in the hero business.

As grateful as Jin was for the opportunity to intern with a real, professional hero, she couldn't help but mentally slap herself for overly glorifying the experience in her head before working.

Of course.

Of _course_ being an intern meant doing all the work that nobody wanted to do—why did she think she'd actually get to experience the action of saving people and fighting criminals hands-on when she was still an amateur?

 _How silly of me._

For now, Jin's duties included cleaning the entire headquarters, bringing coffee for the older employees, and even working here and there in the other branches connected to the main company that the hero owned.

Simply put, it was "bitch work."

On evenings, she worked at the register of the company convenience store right outside the headquarters building.

For the most part, it wasn't bad—just a little boring, but simultaneously tiring.

Her boss had described her experiences as "experiencing the life of a commoner," painting it with the excuse of Jin's need to understand what the daily life of civilians is like, saying it was important not to let fame and glory get to her head, as if Jin had either of those at this point in time.

The sun had set a couple of hours ago, and Jin was getting ready to close the shop as she counted the money from the register, until the bell by the entrance chimed, welcoming another customer.

She quickly finished counting and waited at the counter for the customer to make his purchase.

Jin looked up as he approached her, taking in his appearance.

He was a tall, but built, lanky man dressed in all black, with raven hair that spiked in all sorts of directions, hanging over his heavily lidded eyes. His most telling features were definitely the burn marks he had all over his body, from his chin, to his chest, to his arms, staples holding them together.

It was a bit intimidating, but the way he carried himself so surely told her that confidence wasn't something he lacked.

His hollow eyes were hypnotizing as they met hers—they were piercing, and she just couldn't seem to tear her eyes away.

"Just this?" Jin asked, scanning the bottle of beer the man had put on the counter as he nodded. "Can I see your I.D.?"

Though it was obvious that he was above the legal drinking age, Jin still needed to ask, for technical reasons.

As the man patted his pockets looking for his I.D., he smiled apologetically, though the smile didn't quite completely reach his eyes.

"Sorry doll, don't have it with me."

"Ah…" Jin murmured, wondering what she should do.

It _was_ the end of the day, and there were no other customers around. Would it really make _that_ big of a difference?

"It's alright, I don't want to give you a hard time," he said, reaching out to put the bottle back.

"No it's okay," she said. "Just don't tell anyone I didn't card you, okay?"

She grinned.

"That'll be $3.99," she said. "You're my last customer for the night, so we'll just have to keep this a secret."

Jin pulled her oversized jacket sleeves over her hands, fiddling with the fabric—she always dressed comfortably for work, but she still couldn't wait to get home and change into pajamas.

"What did I do to deserve this special treatment?" he smirked, handing her the cash.

"Maybe I'm just in a good mood tonight," she shrugged, chuckling as she handed him his receipt in return.

"Well thanks… Jin," he said, his eyes flickering down to read her name tag before taking his drink with him.

"You're welcome, uh…" she trailed off.

"Just call me Dabi," he said nonchalantly, turning to leave.

"Okay Dabi, have a nice evening," she smiled.

"See you around," he smirked again, winking one of his fiery, turquoise eyes at her before closing the door behind him.

Jin blinked and stiffened in surprise at the flirtatious gesture, feeling a bit warmer in her white blouse.

 _How come all the boys I've met get pretty colored eyes?_

She shook her head to herself as she went back to her store-closing duties—it was about time she went home before her parents started worrying again.

Her phone buzzed in the silence of the store as she finished putting away the receipts for the day and prepared to wipe the counters.

Taking a break, Jin pulled it out of her pocket to see what the notification was.

[1 New] Todoroki Shouto - 22:20

"How is your internship going?"

Jin grinned giddily at her phone, quickly typing a response. As she wondered what made him think of her, enough so to send her a text, her phone buzzed again.

She tapped the new notification bubble that floated at the top of her screen before finishing her text to Todoroki.

[1 New] Bakugou Katsui - 22:22

"Oi, if you're gonna intern, consider not lookin' so ugly, will ya?"

[2 Attached Images]

Confused and suddenly irritated, Jin tapped the photo attachment to see it.

Her jaw dropped at the file that opened on her screen. It was a screenshot of a news report on the hero Jin was interning for—there was a photo taken of the newly remodeled headquarters building, and as Jin scrolled down to the second image, it was a zoomed-in picture of the convenience store outside.

She could easily make out her silhouette in the background, standing at the counter taking someone's order—but her hair was a mess and she had no makeup on. Her dark circles and empty eyes filled with nothing but existential dread were undeniable.

Was it a picture of Akarui Jin, or a sick, homeless teenage boy? The world may never know.

Jin's hand flew to her face as she slowly pulled it downwards.

 _Ugh._

But this was karma for the hilariously ugly photo she had sent Bakugou of himself after the sports festival, she supposed.

She quickly typed a response so she could finish her text to Todoroki—though annoyed at how bad she looked in the photo, Jin couldn't help chuckling at the teasing text Bakugou felt compelled to send her. At least that meant he was comfortable with her.

To: Bakugou Katsuki

"Lol fuck off"

Jin absent-mindedly fixed her disorderly bangs and decided to respond to Todoroki after she closed up the shop and headed home. She didn't want him to think she was desperate or anything if she responded too quickly.

As she turned off the neon "Open" sign and locked the doors, Jin zipped her oversized jacket up and finally began to walk home.

She was so tired and hungry that she didn't notice the dark figure leaning against the wall behind the building. He watched her walk away in silence, sipping on a bottle of cold beer.

* * *

Author's note: Hi everyone! I'm finally writing again ^^ Sorry to keep you all waiting! I wanted to plan out the storyline a little bit more before I actually started writing, and I've been super busy with school until now. I'm hoping to finish up my Naruto fanfiction this summer, and get a good chunk of this story done too! This one's gonna be a wild ride, so I hope you all will stick around for it (thank you for being patient!). What did you guys think of this chapter? What are you excited for? Do share, I would love to know! Much love xx


	4. First Impressions

[Fanfiction readers can head on over to Wattpad if you want to see Jin's outfit for each chapter!]

Chapter song: "Lightning" by Alex Goot

"You're staring me down with those electric eyes; no matter how hard I try, I can't escape that gaze tonight."

* * *

What in the world?

It's only been a few weeks since the sports festival ended and since the students participating each began their respective internships, and somehow Jin's friends were hospitalized yet _again_.

Jin really loved the idea of having a class group chat, as she believed it boosted their morale and bonded them closer as friends. That way, she was also less afraid to message people separately as time passed by.

She had kept in touch with a few people, asking them to share details regarding their internship experiences, and sharing some of her own as well.

It was all fun and games, hearing about everyone's exciting experiences… that was, until Izuku let it slip that he was recovering in the hospital, along with Shouto and Tenya.

It had began with Izuku's cryptic message to the group chat, when he sent nothing but a mere location of where he was, late in the evening. Confused and just the tiniest bit uneasy, Jin had called Shouto from her internship headquarters while mopping the floors. She remembered Shouto mentioning the place he was interning at, which wasn't too far from Izuku's location.

To her relief, he had picked up immediately.

Though it seemed like the hot and cold boy was in a rush, Jin couldn't deny the sense of comfort she felt just by hearing his voice.

"Hey, did you see Izuku's location he sent in the chat?" she'd asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Shouto responded. "Something didn't feel right, so I'm headed there right now."

"Oh okay, good," Jin breathed. "I mean, hopefully nothing's wrong, but I zoomed in and it looks like some random alleyway and he's not moving so, I don't know, I didn't wanna bother you but I couldn't really stop thinking about it either since there's the whole Stain hero-killer thing going around and I—"

"Leave it to me," her friend responded calmly, cutting her off.

Jin realized she'd been rambling.

"Oh, okay," she said, taken aback. "Sorry, I got a little ahead of myself."

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "I'll let you know how things go when I get the chance."

"Okay," Jin repeated, feeling a bit more at peace. "Be careful, Shouto."

"I will."

There was a pause before they hung up.

Surely enough, there was a new text message from Todoroki the next day (before Izuku messaged their class group chat).

[1 New] Todoroki Shouto - 12:31

"We're fine. There was a bit of trouble last night but we're all OK. Midoriya, Tenya, and I are getting rest in the hospital."

 _The hospital?!_

Jin immediately called Shouto to have him explain everything, though he was a bit reluctant at first. She was in shock, and couldn't believe her three classmates had encountered the notorious, dangerous criminal who called himself Stain on their own the night before.

They could have lost their lives.

Jin knew Shouto was powerful beyond his age, but the fact of the matter was that they were all still students, and were nowhere near the level of professional heroes.

Jin called her boss, after hanging up the phone with her classmates, and asked to take her day shift off. After explaining that she just needed to visit some friends who were injured recently, her internship supervisor cut her some slack and said all Jin had to do was come back to close their headquarters at night.

After thanking her supervisor, Jin changed into some day clothes and prepared to take the train to go meet her friends. It would be a bit of a long day to commute, but she felt bad if no one visited them, since she was apparently the only one who knew of their current situation.

* * *

Shouto, Tenya, and Izuku's moods were undeniably lifted at the sight of a familiar face. A lot had happened within the past 24 hours, and it was nice just to have someone to talk to.

Izuku and Tenya flushed a deep shade of red at the thought of having a girl care for them, as Jin walked in with flowers and a basket of snacks for the three boys.

Since they were injured, Jin had jokingly asked, "Do you want me to feed you?"

Izuku and Tenya passed out.

"Wow, I didn't know the idea of me feeding them was that repulsive," Jin said sarcastically to Todoroki.

Though it was meant as a joke, it completely went over Shouto's head.

"I don't think you're _that_ repulsive," he said blankly.

Jin raised an eyebrow, unsure of whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

Tenya and Izuku resuscitated themselves as they came back to life, just in time to frantically defend their clueless friend.

"H-He doesn't mean it like that!" Izuku stuttered. "I-It's not that we don't like you, but we just… ah… I don't know if you should feed us… n-not that it's a bad thing or anything!"

"We are grown men who can feed ourselves!" Tenya shot up straight and announced stiffly. "Our mothers raised us better than this! Other than the age of when we were breast-fed—"

Irritated at this point that she was talking to three morons, Jin shoved food into all three of their mouths so they could calm down and stop talking nonsense.

But still, she was just glad her friends were safe.

As Shouto chewed quietly, he snuck a peek at Jin, who was checking her phone and typing away briskly.

He wondered how the two of them had grown comfortable as friends without him even realizing it.

He wondered how he began to feel at ease with his classmates in 1-A, when he was not accustomed to any sort of acceptance or affection to begin with.

She looked up and caught his eye as he turned away quickly, continuing to eat his cookie in silence.

He glanced back at her once she turned her attention back to her phone screen.

Her long black hair was tucked behind her ear, her thick lashes blinking underneath her wispy bangs. Shouto's hair at the front of his face was a similar length, so he wondered if Jin's bangs ever tickled her eyes too.

She still looked the same as when he first met her.

Shouto thought back to his first impressions of Akarui Jin.

He first noticed her during Aizawa-sensei's physical exam when everyone first enrolled in UA on their first day of school. One of the tests was to test how far the students could make a ball travel using their quirks.

He thought it was interesting that she had a similar Quirk based off a simple, natural element. Earth.

It was creative, how she sent the ball flying.

Jin had bent the dirt beneath them to create a catapult-bat contraption of some sort, using the laws of physics and gravity to send the ball far into the field.

He couldn't understand her at first, because she seemed nice and polite to him, and seemed genuinely interested in being able to get along with her peers and becoming friends.

Back then, Shouto didn't understand the appeal, or, rather, the mere _purpose_ of making friends.

Becoming a hero was a solo duty for one.

It wasn't until the students were assigned to another field exercise, when the horde of villains appeared before them and forced them to cooperate and work together, that Shouto began to slowly understand the desire of being helping his classmates, along with the benefits of trusting other people to watch his back.

Though Shouto was powerful, the brute force he used in his attacks easily put his classmates in harm's way, and it wasn't until Jin had enveloped them in a protective dome of the dirt and rock, that he realized how rash he was being.

At the time, Shouto wouldn't have gone so far as to say he was thankful for Jin or their other classmates, but he did feel a satisfaction of trying out things he would not have been able to do on his own.

Though he did feel he had the situation under control, he used his fire and Jin's earth abilities to create a lava-like substance; despite the lack in amplitude of the attack because Jin's power capacities were nowhere near his, the attack was strong enough to ultimately drive the villains away from their area.

After doing some reflecting that night, Shouto came to the conclusion that, perhaps opening himself up just a tiny bit to his classmates—potentially friends—may not be such a bad idea.

Snapping back to reality, Shouto's lips curled into the tiniest, barely noticeable smile as he watched his comrades talk and take comfort in each other's presence.

Shouto just had to be careful not to get into fights with any of them, as people seemed to always hurt their hands and arms whenever he got involved.

"Well, I'm gonna get going," Jin said, rising from her chair. "I've still gotta take the train back home, and also close for the headquarters I'm interning at."

"Oh okay!" Izuku chirped. "Th-thanks for visiting us, Jin-san!"

"You can just call me Jin, Deku," Jin laughed. "Can I call you that too? I know Bakugou and Uraraka call you that, but I think it's kinda cute and catchy."

Izuku blushed at her words.

"O-of course!"

"I'll walk you out," Shouto said, rising as well.

"Oh no, you don't have to—"

"It's fine, I'm the least injured one out of all of us," he cut her off.

Jin simply accepted his offer as she waved goodbye to her other two classmates resting in their hospital beds.

The two friends walked down the hallway quietly together until reaching the elevator, where Jin stopped and turned to Shouto.

"Well, thanks for seeing me out," she grinned. "Make sure you recover quickly, or you'll be stiff and old from not moving around."

"I will be no such thing," Shouto scoffed, and paused. "Thanks for visiting us… I think Iida really needed someone uplifting after what happened with his brother and Stain."

"It was the least I could do, and I'm just glad you're all okay," Jin brushed off lightheartedly, fixing her bangs that were poking her eyes. "Take care of him."

"I will. Get home safe."

Jin walked into the elevator, waving and grinning as the doors closed between them.

Almost two hours later, on her way home, Jin realized that she hadn't eaten yet, as the sound of her stomach growling so rudely reminded her.

She decided to grab a sandwich at a deli on her way back to the headquarters, since the convenience store outside didn't carry any substantial food she found appetizing.

Upon entering the restaurant, she saw a familiar, muscular silhouette standing in front of her in the line.

"Bakugou?" she asked, surprised.

The boy whipped around, and sure enough, her dark brown eyes met his fiery red ones.

"Tch, what are you doing here?" he asked gruffly, also surprised to see her.

"More like what are you doing to your HAIR?" she choked, covering her mouth with both hands as she tried not to burst out laughing obnoxiously.

Jin could have sworn she saw steam shoot out of the irritated boy's ears, underneath his newly slicked down hair.

"SHUT IT, WILL YOU?" he barked at her, his hair immediately shooting back into the spiked shapes she knew, as Jin's shoulders quaked under the effort of not collapsing in laughter.

"I'm—"

Jin didn't finish her sentence as a hand reached out and smacked the back of Bakugou's head in full force.

"IS THAT HOW YOU TALK TO GIRLS, YOU LITTLE PUNK?" an older woman, with almost the exact same hair shape as Bakugou's roared.

Cold sweat dripped down Jin's face as she smiled nervously.

 _Where did she come from?_

"I LEAVE YOU ALONE FOR ONE SECOND TO PARK THE CAR AND YOU'RE ALREADY STARTING FIGHTS WITH PEOPLE—"

"God dammit you HAG—"

"We weren't fighting," Jin laughed nervously to interrupt them. "I'm his classmate, Akarui Jin. Nice to meet you!"

"Oh, you sweetheart!" the woman Jin presumed was Bakugou's mother did a complete 180 turn in her attitude as she took Jin's hands in her own. "Hello! Forgive me for my son's awful behavior, he's not very good with social interactions—"

"OI, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOU—"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, BRAT—" she bellowed back at him, causing the whole restaurant to turn around and look at them.

Though she was scary, Jin had to admit it was almost endearing watching Bakugou and his mother interact. After all, this was the first time she saw Bakugou even remotely submit to someone.

"Nice to meet you, Jin," Bakugou's mother beamed, her eyes twinkling. "You can call me Mitsuki—I can't believe Katsuki has such a cute friend that I've never met before!"

"Tch, what the hell are you talking about, you crazy woman?" Bakugou muttered under his breath.

"Oh no, not at all," Jin laughed awkwardly. "I was just on my way back to my internship since I'm closing for the headquarters tonight."

"Yeah, she's on friggin' TV," Bakugou snickered, thinking back to the horrendous photo he sent Jin of herself.

"Well, so are you," Jin shot back. "At least I didn't have to be put in chains."

"Why, you—"

Bakugou's mother simply let out a loud, delighted laugh.

"Thank you for putting up with him," she chuckled. "Sorry we're holding you up! You must be tired from working at your internship—Katsuki just finished his yesterday, and his attitude hasn't changed one bit…"

"I think the new hair looks good on him," Jin snorted, dodging Bakugou's threatening attempt to grab her.

The cashier beckoned for the next customer to order, so Bakugou and his mother turned to move ahead.

"It was nice meeting you, Jin!" Mitsuki chirped. "Don't overwork yourself."

Jin thanked her as Bakugou turned around and grumbled something about his mother being embarrassing.

"Well bye to you too," Jin scoffed as he turned away without a word.

"Later, loser."

Once Jin had taken her food and left the restaurant, it was already dark outside.

Mitsuki took a bite of her food and asked her son mockingly, "I didn't know you had friends at school."

"We're not friends," he retorted irritatedly, stuffing his mouth with food.

"Well she seems nice, so I'd hope you guys are friends," Mitsuki responded. "Sheesh, when will you fix that shitty attitude of yours?"

"Where do you think I get it from, woman?" he snapped.

"What'd you say?!"

Bakugou snickered as he dodged another hit from his annoying mother.

The rambunctious blonde continued to chew on his food as he reflected on his unexpected encounter with Jin.

When did he first meet her anyway? Since when did they start talking? Had they always been this comfortable with each other?

Bakugou was pretty sure the way he and Jin had first casually interacted was, in fact, talking about first impressions. When class 1-A was still getting to know each other after a few weeks into school, Mina was chattering away, trying to start conversations among her peers.

"I remember when I saw you for the first time, Jin-chan!" the pink girl recalled loudly. "I thought you were super pretty but _sooo_ scary—you just looked like you hated everyone!"

Jin stiffened up at her words, laughing awkwardly.

"No no, that's not it," Jin protested, waved her hands. "I promise you that's just my resting face, I'm actually super soft and lame on the inside…"

"I thought Todoroki-san looked scary," Momo piped in. "You two both have that stone-cold look to you, like you're full of nothing but existential dread."

Everyone giggled at her bold statement, causing her to blush once she realized it could come off the wrong way.

"I-I'm sorry!" Momo apologized, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "That's not how I feel now, but that was just my first impression of you two…"

"Don't worry about it," Jin laughed, causing Momo to relax. "I get that more than you'd think, actually."

"I thought Koji looked _suuuuper_ tough," Toru giggled, placing her invisible hand in front of her mouth. "Who would've thought he had such a shy personality?"

Koji blushed from a few seats away at this.

"Oi oi! What about me?" Kaminari yapped from his desk. "Did I look super cool and scary to you guys?"

Before any of the girls could respond, Tokoyami's deep voice answered with the least bit of excitement, "No."

Kirishima roared in laughter as Kaminari looked away, defeated.

"I thought Bakugou was a little intimidating because he was really strong and… intense," Jin admitted hesitantly, peering over her shoulder to see if he could hear her.

She wasn't sure she wanted him to.

To her surprise, Bakugou was staring straight at her, as she whipped her head back around—her long, black hair whipping against Kaminari's forehead in the process.

Truthfully, Bakugou was surprised she felt that way about him.

The first time the fiery blonde had felt insecure about the strength of his Quirk was watching Todoroki fight.

He'd realized he still had a long way to go before being ahead of his peers, and hated the feeling of being weaker than them.

Perhaps Bakugou had subconsciously associated Jin with Todoroki because both of them had Quirks powered with natural elements, but he couldn't deny the feeling of satisfaction knowing someone acknowledged him for his strength.

"This guy?!" Kirishima yelled hysterically, walking towards where Bakugou was sitting and slapping him on the back. "He looks tough but it's all just a front!"

"Be careful or I'll beat your ass," Bakugou barked, snapping back to reality. "What're you fuckers lookin' at, huh?"

Bakugou glared at the rest of his classmates before the girls turned back around, annoyed.

"Geez, what's with his attitude?"

"Acting so tough all the time."

"He's always like that."

As the girls muttered among themselves, Jin snuck a glance at Bakugou, who was in the middle of trying to hit Kirishima.

She giggled softly at his futile attempts to attack the red-haired boy.

Jin was glad that everyone, despite their differences in class, had someone.

Yes, even Bakugou, with his awful temper, had a friend to stick by him and believe in him.

Noticing himself getting laughed at, Bakugou's cheeks flushed slightly pink before scoffing and letting go of Kirishima's collar.

 _Tch, why does she have to act so fucking nice all the time?_ he thought to himself.

When he'd stormed out of the school, feeling inferior after losing to Izuku in the mock battle, Jin had bumped into him and asked if he was alright.

Furious that anyone could see him feeling weak, he snapped at her and told her to "mind her own damn business."

He couldn't remember if he had called her a bitch too.

But he was pretty upset that time, especially after seeing her and all his other classmates' abilities earlier in the day.

As he stomped away, Izuku had ended up catching up to Jin, reassuring her that Bakugou could be really rude sometimes, but was actually a really good guy.

Izuku had asked her to let him talk to Bakugou instead, which, to no one's surprise, didn't go that well either.

The next day, as Bakugou was about to threaten to beat Jin to a pulp if she told anyone about seeing him almost cry, she greeted him normally, to his surprise.

"Morning, Bakugou," she smiled politely, walking past his desk to reach her own.

Why wasn't she ignoring him, or treating him as badly as he treated her?

He glared at the back of her head once she sat down in her seat, as she completely ignored him, pretending to not notice.

He just didn't understand.

"Hello, Earth to my annoying son who picks fights with people at restaurants," Mitsuki's loud voice rang, disrupting his thoughts, and bringing him back to reality. "What're you spacin' out about in that angry brain of yours, huh?"

He just shrugged.

"I dunno, some random shit."

Mitsuki eyed her usually hot-tempered son suspiciously before gesturing to a passing waiter for the bill.

Meanwhile, Jin had finally reached her headquarters, despite the sun setting a couple hours ago.

She cleaned the floors, wiped down the windows, and turned off all the lights after saying goodbye to the last few people working in the building, before moving on to her last task of the night: closing the convenience store.

Jin waved goodbye to the girl working at the cash register, relieving her of her duties as she continued to clean.

As she rolled down the window blinds, the bell by the door jingled.

"Sorry, we're closed—"

Jin blinked in surprise at the tall, lanky male standing before her.

"Dabi?"

"Hey doll," Dabi's deep voice greeted as he smirked at her. "I just came by to pick something up real quick, can you ring me up?"

"Er, sure," Jin said, following him to the cash register.

Technically, she wasn't supposed to take any more purchases past store hours, but Dabi had stopped by, coincidentally, during her shift several times now—usually in the evening too. Not like she hadn't already made an exception or two for him before.

Jin wondered what he did during the day.

"Is this all for you today?" she asked, scanning the barcode on the box of bandages Dabi put onto the counter.

He nodded, never taking his fiery, turquoise eyes off her, even as he dug through his pockets for some cash to pay.

Jin felt her face heat up under his intense gaze—he just had a certain aura around him that made her just the tiniest bit nervous.

"Is… everything okay?" she asked casually, watching Dabi take the box of bandages.

"Nothin' out of the ordinary," he said coolly, turning to walk away. "See ya."

"Bye," Jin waved awkwardly, watching him leave the store, his tall figure disappearing into the darkness of the night.

Meanwhile, Dabi wondered what kept drawing him back to the little convenience store.

He never really needed anything, and if he did, it wasn't a difficult task to just steal things. Surely it was easier than needing to show an ID if he just wanted a little bit of alcohol.

Shoving the bandages into his pocket, he leaned against the wall once he turned the corner and lit a cigarette.

He watched a group of drunk men across the street babble some vulgar things while throwing up onto the pavement.

Exhaling a breath of grey smoke, Dabi waited until he saw Jin leave the shop and lock the doors.

He wasn't sure why he was so infatuated with her.

Sure, she was a pretty little thing, but Dabi really couldn't explain what kept him coming back over and over again, just to see her and interact with her.

He'd seen her show up at work in her uniform once, and he knew immediately she was a student at U.A.—it was obvious, really. He had a feeling.

Perhaps he was seduced by the idea of the unattainable—taking interest in an aspiring hero? How laughable.

But maybe it was the way she didn't even bat an eyelash at the sight of his scars. Dabi knew he was unsightly, and whether he admitted it or not, he's always had an affinity for people who completely overlook that.

She smiled at him just the same, and even got flustered with a little bit of flirting.

How easy.

 _Funny_ , Dabi thought to himself.

It was the first time he ever considered someone both unattainable and easy at the same time.

His lips curled up into a smirk thinking about her.

"Hey little lady, where ya headed tonight?" a brash voice said through slurred words, disrupting Dabi's thoughts.

Dabi peered around the corner through the darkness to see what was happening.

In the dimly lit street outside the store, he saw that the group of drunken men had made their way across to where Jin was standing.

She ignored him while walking faster, typing away faster on her phone, acting distracted.

But the men were relentless.

There were four of them, and none of them were more sober than the other—or seemed to have better intentions in mind.

"You know, you're just my type," one tall, dirty-blonde said. "I love the cute, innocent ones."

Jin was walking so fast she was almost running now.

That is, until two of the tallest men stood in front of her to block her path, while the other two made their way closer to her from behind as she froze.

"Yeah, the innocent ones are way more fun," one of them sneered, bending down to whisper in her ear. "I can show you a first time you'll never forget."

Dabi clicked his tongue in annoyance.

He usually hated getting involved, but this was even worse because Jin would know he'd been hanging around instead of actually leaving earlier.

With his back still leaning against the wall, he felt his blood begin to boil at the drunkard's crude words.

"Leave me alone," Jin said firmly, pushing past the two tall men.

She knew she should yell, fight, or run, but for some reason, she felt terrified and frozen.

Her body wasn't listening to her.

The brown-haired man with piercings took a strong hold of her wrist and yanked her violently towards him, keeping her from running away.

She toppled over under his forceful pull and into his arms.

His other tattooed arm snaked around her waist while he breathed into the crook of her neck.

"So which one of us do you want to fuck you first?"

The second the dirty-blonde man's hands reached the hem of Jin's skirt, Dabi's back left the wall as he prepared to annihilate the group of men.

But in that moment, Jin's body finally snapped back to its senses, as if screaming at her that it's now or never.

She bit the man who held her on his hand, causing him to curse and release her from his grasp.

Jin's hands waved in a lifting motion, causing the dirt from beneath them to rise as she slammed blocks of earth into the men's faces.

They fell and began to bleed, unable to get up.

"Don't fucking bother me, or any woman again," she snarled, brushing off the tiny rocks on her legs that cut up her skin from her Quirk. "I'll call the police, or kill you myself."

She knew it was an empty threat because killing was wrong, but it seemed like it would get the job done in the moment.

"Ugly ass bitch," one man spat as they all got up to run away.

Dabi's tense muscles relaxed from around the corner, relieved that he didn't have to intervene.

 _She's not bad_ , he thought to himself.

Once Jin had walked far enough away, Dabi followed the group of men in the direction they'd left.

As Jin made it home safely, Dabi was taking care of business.

"Who the fuck are you?" one man from earlier shouted aggressively, as Dabi blocked their group's path in the dark alleyway.

"Your worst nightmare," he sneered, the blue flame from his palm lighting up his face, revealing a psychotic smile.

The last thing he heard were their blood curdling screams before incinerating the four assaulters to ashes.

As Jin waited for the pot of water to boil in her quiet home for a late dinner, a shiver ran up her spine.

* * *

Author's note: Hi everyone! Sorry about the late update, been a lot busier than I'd anticipated lately, but I still plan on writing! I'm also sorry for the story being a bit slow, I'm just trying to establish the characters and their relationships a little bit more before getting some action going. But don't worry, some shit is about to go DOWN lmao (but be sure to follow the story to see when it does). Hope to see you all soon xx


	5. Jealousy

[Fanfiction readers can head on over to Wattpad if you want to see Jin's outfit for each chapter!]

Chapter song: "We Should Be Together" by Pia Mia

"We should be together right now… nothing could be better than my here and now."

* * *

It's been a few weeks since Iida, Todoroki, and Deku faced Stain, the self-proclaimed hero killer.

Jin had consistently visited her friends while they were still hospitalized, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't there to see Shouto specifically sometimes.

Jin didn't like to think too much about romance or her feelings, but she wasn't dumb either. She knew she was infatuated with the half cold, half hot boy ever since she saw him fight for the first time.

Initially, she shook off that feeling after seeing how coldly and apathetically he treated other people, but ended up developing a soft spot for him after realizing that, although Todoroki genuinely didn't know how to socialize or interact with other people sometimes, his heart was always in the right place.

And how could she resist after he started noticeably treating her nicer?

Admittedly, Jin didn't like how it sounded like she was competing with other people, because that definitely wasn't the case, but she couldn't deny how special it made her feel to see Todoroki warm up to her much more than he did to their other female classmates.

Not to mention, she and Todoroki were spending a bit more time together these days as well. He just seemed much more comfortable in her presence—even if they wouldn't talk, it felt more like a comfortable silence, than an awkward one.

It wasn't easy though.

Jin had to repeatedly put away her pride and anxiety of being the first one to make a move, over and over again, just to gather up the courage to ask Todoroki if he wanted to hang out with her.

At first, Jin felt like she wasn't doing anything right.

If she asked Todoroki whether he wanted to grab coffee or do work at a cafe together after school, he would respond that he didn't like coffee, and that he much preferred to have tea. If she asked if he was open to going shopping for some school supplies together, he would respond indifferently that he made most of his purchases online, since he didn't see a purpose in going out.

She almost thought he was curving her, until he actually started making an effort to be with her.

He would suggest going to a cafe that served both coffee and tea so they could each get what they wanted, or ask Jin if she needed anything while he was online shopping so they could buy things together to be more efficient.

That was when she realized that it wasn't that Todoroki didn't like her, but rather him just genuinely being a very simple-minded guy.

And these extra efforts he made as a simple-minded guy showed Jin that he did indeed care, and it seemed like he genuinely enjoyed her company.

Frankly, Jin was quite content with her current relationship with Todoroki—they were definitely friends, but there was also room for something more.

"Hey, Jin…?" Ochaco's gentle, soft voice snapped Jin back to reality, and back to the boring classroom that class 1-A sat in, waiting for their next teacher to arrive.

"What's up?" Jin blinked, curious as to why Ochaco suddenly spoke up.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"Are you…" Ochaco began, blushing furiously as she looked away.

"Am I…?"

Ochaco was silent for a few seconds, before finally blurting out, "Are you and Todoroki-kun dating?!"

Her question took Jin by surprise, as both their faces suddenly blazed bright red.

The brown-haired girl's question was quiet enough that Todoroki didn't hear from where he was sitting, but it was enough to garner the attention of all the other girls, who flocked over like crows.

"Oh my gosh, are you?!"

"Do you like him?"

"Are you two a thing?"

Why did it seem like they'd been dying to ask this for centuries?

"I, uh…" Jin hesitated.

Truthfully, she was extremely flattered that they would think she was even nearly good enough to be an item with Todoroki, but also embarrassed in the moment, terrified that he would hear their gossip any second now.

"N-no!" she stuttered. "We're just friends."

"Now is that so?" Mina smiled devilishly, taking Jin's hands into her own.

"You two _do_ spend a lot of time together," Jiro commented casually, examining her earphone jacks. "Just sayin'."

"It does seem like Todoroki-kun is quite comfortable with you…" Momo murmured, looking away shyly.

Jin laughed nervously, desperately searching for a way to escape the situation.

"Well Ochaco," Jin started, a tiny evil smile creeping up on her lips. "What about you? Do you like… Deku?"

Jin whispered his name so it was barely audible, but the girls didn't need to hear it to know exactly what she said. They collectively started squealing as Ochaco turned even redder than before (which Jin didn't even think was possible) and passed out at her desk.

As the girls tried to resuscitate Ochaco, Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

She snuck a look at Todoroki, who was studying by himself silently at his desk, amongst the loud chatter in the classroom.

She then looked over at Bakugou who was also sitting, oddly enough, very quietly, in the middle of a rowdy triangle formed by Sero, Kaminari, and Kirishima.

Jin froze as she made eye contact with Bakugou's fiery red eyes, realizing he was staring straight at her.

She gulped.

Why the hell was she nervous?

Bakugou scoffed and clicked his tongue once before looking away, mumbling something angry to himself.

"Todoroki-kun, you're studying for the final exam already?" Deku exclaimed, finally noticing the quiet male sitting by himself.

"Why does he even need to study?" Kaminari sighed, throwing his hands up hopelessly. "It's the doomed ones like us who really need it…"

Sero and Mina sighed in synchronized sadness and agreement at Kaminari's statement, thinking back on their low rankings for the midterm exam. They all ranked in the bottom tier of the class.

That was until their lord and savior, Yaoyorozu Momo, came to their rescue.

"If you would allow me…" she began, as an aura of angelic light began to shine behind the curvy, black-haired girl. "You are all welcome to come to my home and study with me!"

Jin could've sworn she saw tears streaming out of Sero's eyes as Kaminari made the sign of the cross by touching his forehead, chest, shoulders, and finally lips and looking up at the ceiling.

Jin turned back in her chair only to find Tokoyami bring his hands up to a worship prayer position, bowing his head slightly and muttering a chant of some sort.

"Fuckin' crackheads," Jin giggled under her breath, in unsion with Bakugou, who said it much louder.

Ignoring him, Momo turned to Jin, extending her hand.

"Jin, would you like to join us?" she asked excitedly. "I can make you some really delicious tea!"

"Uh… I'll let you know!" Jin responded apologetically, scratching her head. "Shouto and I were gonna—"

Jin trailed off as the girls grinned knowingly at her, causing Jin to turn a bright shade of pink.

"Study," Todoroki finished for her. "We were going to study at a cafe."

"Er… yeah," Jin said awkwardly.

Realizing how exclusive they sounded and how bad this was looking, Jin quickly tried to save the situation.

"We'll definitely stop by if we have time though!" she chirped. "I really appreciate the invite, it's just that I already asked him beforehand, so…"

Jin smiled as warmly as she could at Momo, which seemed to suffice, as her friend went back to her excited, cheerful self thinking about having her classmates over at her house.

Just as Jin breathed a sigh of relief, she heard a familiar voice rage over their heads.

"Hey! Am I just invisible to you fuckers or somethin'?!" Bakugou barked.

As much as Jin appreciated Bakugou sometimes, especially since she knew he was just a ball of tough love, he really had to work on that attitude of his.

But then she remembered that Bakugou had scored the third highest score in the class on the midterm. He was so brash and vulgar that she almost forgot he was actually really smart.

"Do you want me to beat the knowledge into you?!" he threatened, to which Kirishima responded cheerfully, "Yes, yes, I'm counting on you."

Jin chuckled once again at the redhead's dynamic with Bakugou's explosive personality.

Seriously, it seemed like only Kirishima knew how to handle Bakugou.

"And YOU," Bakugou growled, pointing at Jin, turning everyone's heads towards them.

Jin raised an eyebrow at him.

"What about me?"

Bakugou gritted his teeth together, trying to get his words out.

"You better fuckin' study with us too," he snapped. "I can do everything that half hot, half cold bastard can do, and better!"

This raised everyone's eyebrows in the room.

The whole class knew Jin was one of the few people Bakugou tolerated, but this was a blatant request for Jin to hang out with him.

Very odd and uncharacteristic of him to disregard his pride and just say it.

Though flattered that, for once, someone was making the first move and directly asking Jin—and no one else—to spend time with him, she tried to hide her amusement.

"And why the hell should I listen to you, fuckin' crazy ass," Jin rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh at Bakugou coming so close to quite literally combusting.

"YOU BETTER SHOW UP OR I'LL BEAT KIRISHIMA'S ASS."

"Wait hey why do I have to get beat up—"

With that, Bakugou stormed out of the classroom, while everyone fell silent.

They weren't sure if they should feel awkward, or to laugh.

"That was odd," Tsuyu commented.

Jiro, Kaminari, and Sero nodded blankly in sync.

"That sounded like jealousy," Aoyama sang.

Not sure what to make of this, everyone went back to their respective conversations, not acknowledging the sparkly blonde boy.

Soon enough, Bakugou had come back to class shortly after their teacher showed up, so no one could say anything to him as class was already in session.

He plopped down angrily at his desk, still grumbling to himself.

After the last few agonizing hours of school, everyone began to pack their bags after bowing goodbye to their last teacher of the day.

As Bakugou walked past Jin—who was still packing her belongings at her desk—his backpack slung over his shoulder and Kirishima following closely behind, he muttered, "We're going to the diner. You better fuckin' be there."

"Yeah yeah, just go," Jin scoffed, not looking at him.

"Tch."

After Bakugou exited the classroom, Todoroki walked up to Jin's desk with his usual blank expression.

As much as Jin loved spending time with Todoroki, she couldn't help but be amused with Bakugou. He was honestly just like a little kid sometimes.

"Looks like I'll have to go, or Kirishima dies," Jin laughed, standing up.

"You know you don't have to if you don't want to," Todoroki assured.

Jin chuckled.

"Of course I know that," she agreed. "But it's pretty rare that Bakugou is so blatant about wanting to study with someone, so I feel like I should go. Wouldn't want him to be completely friend-less, y'know?"

"You don't even really need his help," Todoroki insisted, referring to Jin scoring seventh place in the class on the midterm, which was considerably pretty good.

"Well Shouto, last time I checked, Bakugou scored higher than you on the midterm," Jin mused. "So by your logic, I guess I wouldn't really need your help either."

Todoroki went speechless. She was right.

"I'm kidding," she giggled, slapping his arm gently at the sight of his face tensing up. "I ask you to study with me because I like spending time with you."

Todoroki's eyes lingered on the spot on his arm that Jin had just touched.

"Let's study another time," she beamed, before turning around to leave to catch up to Bakugou and Kirishima.

Her body was suddenly stopped by a gentle, but firm grip on her wrist, her long, black hair flowing in front of her.

Jin looked back in surprise.

Todoroki had reached out and grabbed her wrist, holding her back from leaving.

Jin raised an eyebrow at him.

 _What the hell is happening today?_

As soon as Todoroki realized what he'd done, he let go immediately.

He wasn't even sure why he reached out for her—his body sort of just acted on its own.

"Sorry," he apologized quietly, clearly flustered at his own actions.

Though taken aback, Jin simply smiled.

"I'll text you later," she promised, her eyes twinkling with warmth.

"Okay."

As soon as Todoroki saw Jin walk through the door, he brought his palm to his forehead.

 _Why did I do that?_

He looked down at his hand, which just held Jin's slender wrist a minute ago.

Todoroki then looked up to see Kaminari and Mineta still in the back of the classroom, both of whom had their jaws on the floor.

They quickly scrambled to exit the room, leaving Todoroki standing there by himself, who turned his attention back to his hand.

The only sounds left in the classroom were the soft ticking of the clock, and his heartbeat, which seemed to beat just a little faster.

* * *

"WHY DON'T YOU GET IT, YOU DAMN IDIOT," Bakugou yelled, smacking the top of Kirishima's head mercilessly with a roll of paper.

"I'm trying!" Kirishima cried, using his Quirk to harden himself in defense against Bakugou's disciplinary actions.

Jin laughed.

Bakugou was one of those people who thought yelling the answer louder would make someone suddenly understand the problem, but clearly that's not how people's brains work.

It seemed like all he'd done during their study session was mutter impatiently or yell at Kirishima and Jin, but she couldn't deny that it was kind of fun studying with him.

His rampant personality made it easy for Jin to stay awake, especially since she's been so busy studying, training, and still working at her internship lately.

For some reason, Bakugou's aggressiveness sometimes even made it easier for her to remember certain terms or mathematical formulas.

A few bruises and milkshakes later, their studying had finally come to an end.

"Ahhh… my mom wants me home for dinner," Kirishima said sheepishly, dodging another smack from Bakugou.

"Oh, okay!" Jin chirped, immediately closing her textbook. "Bakugou, you should probably go home for dinner too, right?"

"That's none of ya damn business," Bakugou grunted. "Ok, we'll stop here for today."

Jin nodded eagerly as she continued to pack her bag while Kirishima said his goodbyes.

She had about an hour and a half to grab a quick bite to eat before heading over to the headquarters' convenience store.

Her only job now was pretty much to look over the convenience store, since the other interns had gone back to school because all of them were from out of town except for Jin.

She figured it didn't take too much time each night, and it would be something to put on her resume, as well as a way to earn some extra pocket money, so she decided to keep working there.

"And what about you?" Bakugou asked gruffly, turning towards Jin, but immediately looking away. "Are ya headed home now, or what?"

"Actually, I gotta go to work," Jin sighed. "I'm just gonna buy something quick for dinner and go to the headquarters—er, convenience store."

"At least you look better today," Bakugou snorted.

Jin knew he meant it as an insult and as a reference to the day she'd accidentally been captured in a TV news report on a day she looked as dead as she felt inside, but she didn't hesitate to turn it around on him.

"Aw, thanks," she smiled flirtatiously, batting her lashes at him. "If you thought I looked good, you should've just said so earlier."

Bakugou immediately turned even redder than the color of his eyes.

"WHEN THE FUCK DID I EVER SAY THAT, HUH?"

Jin simple chuckled, ignoring him.

But the grin slowly slipped off her face, as she remembered the events of the night she was assaulted by a group a drunken men.

Part of her almost blamed herself for wearing makeup and trying to look pretty, for attracting men like that, even if she rationally knew that it was never the victims' fault for the harassment they experience.

Bakugou noticed the change in Jin's expression immediately as she paled slightly.

"Oi, what's your problem?" he grumbled, suddenly feeling just the tiniest bit concerned. The Jin he knew didn't easily get bothered by his brash behavior.

Was it something he said?

"It's… nothing," Jin hesitated.

She wasn't sure if Bakugou would even care at all, but she remembered Todoroki's reaction when she told him what happened that night.

Not wanting to worry her parents, she had called him instead, needing to hear his voice for a sense of comfort.

It was an odd feeling.

Jin knew she was capable of beating up some scrubs like those men, but for some reason, she was so terrified in the moment that her body just wouldn't move.

Todoroki expressed his concern repeatedly for her, telling her that he hoped she would reconsider her decision to continue to working at the convenience store simply because they were short on staff.

He told her that she was being too nice.

Although she was glad that Todoroki—who was known for his apathetic and aloof demeanor—cared so much about her, Jin couldn't help but feel bad for worrying him.

She definitely would've felt even worse if Todoroki took a taxi out to come see her that night, which he insisted on doing once he heard that no one in her family was home to comfort or protect her.

Although Jin tried to protest and reason that she was strong enough to protect herself, she couldn't believe how dense Todoroki was being.

A guy coming to see her in the middle of the night while her parents weren't home?

That was easily a blueprint for disaster, misunderstandings, and just an overall mess.

She couldn't blame him though—Jin had to keep reminding herself that Todoroki was truly just a simple-minded guy.

He just wanted to make sure she was okay, because he cared.

After some excessive reassuring and objecting, Todoroki finally agreed to not go over to her house, and they ended up talking on the phone instead.

Well, Jin wasn't really sure if it could constitute as talking, since she and Todoroki usually talk for a little bit, and then stay completely silent while they did their homework for a couple of hours.

It was a bit odd, but definitely comforting, especially for someone who was home alone.

Bakugou's face leaning in and breathing just centimeters away from Jin's brought her back to reality.

"Tell me what's wrong, or you'll never see your backpack again," he growled, threatening to blow her backpack up.

Wait, when did he even get a hold of her backpack?

Jin sighed.

"It's nothing, I just… there were some drunk guys a few weeks ago who were bothering me after I closed up the store, that's all," Jin said quickly, trying not to get into the details.

She didn't want to dump her problems onto Bakugou, but it also made her feel sick just thinking about that night again.

Remembering the frantic desire to run away. The sickening smell of smoke and alcohol in their breath against her neck. The feeling of foreign, unwanted hands roaming all over her waist, her chest, the hem of her skirt—

"What did they do."

Jin was quiet.

"I said," Bakugou began, trying to keep his voice from screeching at her. "What. Did. They. _**DO**_."

He couldn't help it, as his loud vocal chords turned everyone's heads in the diner to look at them.

Jin quickly grabbed her backpack and shoved Bakugou out the door, pushing him as quickly as she could.

"Oi, answer my fuckin' question—"

Once they were outside on the street and not being a disturbance to the customers trying to eat, Jin sighed.

"They harassed me, Bakugou," she stated, watching the blonde boy clench his fists together. "Just said some nasty shit and grabbed me and wouldn't leave me alone, but I beat them up in the end."

Bakugou's shoulders untensed, but he still hissed through gritted teeth, "Just kill them next time."

Despite his anger, Bakugou didn't pry, as Jin was noticeably uncomfortable talking about the situation.

Bakugou slung his backpack over his shoulder and started walking away, grumbling under his breath.

"Fuckin' bastards, puttin' their hands on you and shit… Hell if I ever fuckin' see them on the streets…"

"Where are you going?" Jin called, catching up to him. "Don't you live in the other direction?"

"We're gonna go get you some fuckin' food, not a god damn milkshake for dinner," he barked. "And then we're gonna go to your fuckin' shitty ass convenience store, and I'm not gonna fuckin' leave until I see you walk your ass inside."

Jin was startled by his abrupt but thoughtful declarations, following him without objection.

"And fuckin' text me when you get off work, damn it."

"Okay."

Jin grinned at Bakugou, who refused to look at her.

"Thanks, Bakugou."

"Hmph."

Just like he promised, Bakugou walked with Jin to a restaurant to get some dinner to go, and he ended up paying for her.

He tossed the to-go box at her despite her objections that she could just buy something from a fast-food place, and just kept hissing at her something about "shitty ingredients" and "saturated fats" or something along those lines.

He also kept telling her off about her awful diet and eating habits.

It almost felt like Bakugou was nagging her like her mom, but Jin appreciated the sentiment.

She wondered if this was the first time she's really felt like Bakugou genuinely cared about her, even if he never usually showed it.

Once they reached the convenience store, sure enough, Bakugou stood stiffly outside until Jin went in.

"Er, sorry for the trouble," Jin apologized awkwardly.

She hated apologizing to someone as rude as Bakugou, but she couldn't ignore the fact that he went out of his way to walk her everywhere, and also buy her dinner today.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbled, turning to walk away.

"You know…" Jin began as Bakugou paused in his tracks. "You can be really sweet sometimes, Bakugou."

Jin could've sworn his spiky hair spiked up even more as his whole body stiffened, before he stormed off, speed walking away.

Jin just laughed as she finally closed the glass door, ready to work for a few hours.

After a few long hours of quiet cleaning, taking inventory, and just thinking to herself, Jin was ready to close the shop and head home.

The entrance door jingled as someone walked in, and Jin almost had a feeling she knew who it was this time.

"Why did I have a feeling you were gonna come today?" she remarked, turning around with her hand on her hip.

The tall, dark-haired man shrugged.

"Maybe we're meant to be or something," Dabi smirked. "Jin and Dabi, meant to be—has a ring to it, doesn't it?"

Jin rolled her eyes and turned away from him, continuing to mop the floor.

In the past two months or so that she's been working at the convenience store, she's seen Dabi pretty regularly at night. His flirty comments were pretty common, so Jin just took it as part of his personality, since he was never creepy or overbearing about it.

Not to mention, that was her first impression of him too.

The two could be considered as friendly acquaintances now, and Jin admitted she liked seeing him. It made nights at the store feel a bit less lonely, and it was just nice seeing a familiar face consistently.

"Why do you still work here?" Dabi asked, leaning against the counter as he watched Jin mop, all while shamelessly checking her ass out from where he stood.

"No reason, really," she huffed, getting warm from the manual labor.

Why were these floors so damn dirty every day?

"It's nice to make some extra money," she grunted, putting some more strength into mopping. "And I guess it's good to have some work experience. Plus I just feel bad because they're short on staff."

"Look at you, doing God's work," Dabi purred, loving the sound of Jin's heavy breathing.

He continued to watch her while she cleaned.

"Well, why do _you_ keep coming here, Dabi?" Jin countered, finally standing up to take a break. She wiped the sweat from her brow, catching her breath.

"Hm, I dunno," he grinned. "Maybe I just like seeing you."

"Ha ha ha," Jin laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, okay."

"You don't believe me?" Dabi asked, faking a hurt response by pouting and bringing his hand to his chest.

"I do," Jin responded nonchalantly. "You're gonna have to get in line though, because everyone likes seeing me."

Dabi chuckled at her dry humor, running his bandaged hand through his hair.

"Say, doll, you wanna grab a drink with me after your shift?" Dabi suggested, testing the waters. "I promise it'll be a good time."

"Thanks, but I don't drink," Jin replied, surprised at his invite.

They'd been friendly acquaintances for a while now, but he's never asked her out.

"Hm."

Jin began to put away her cleaning supplies, trying to stay as calm as she could.

Her heart began to pound though, as she began to question whether this relationship with Dabi was really platonic or not.

 _I'm overthinking it_ , she thought to herself. _He's not serious, and even if he was, just a drink wouldn't mean anything_.

As if reading her thoughts, Dabi's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Should we just skip the dating part and sleep together then?"

Jin choked on her spit at Dabi's bold request, and she wondered if he was crazy.

Sure, they'd known each other for a couple months, but where was this coming from?

"What the fuck, are you serious?" she laughed awkwardly, unsure of how to feel.

What she was feeling was a mix of confusion, surprise, flattery, nervousness, and, for some reason, self-consciousness.

Why did he ask her that? Did he not see that her hair was a mess, and she was sweaty with smeared makeup after a long day?

"Do you want me to be?" Dabi continued to flirt, giving her a toothy grin.

"Uh…" Jin trailed off. She didn't want to offend him in any way if he was being serious, but also didn't want to make a fool of herself if he was just joking. She could never read him.

Taking note of her hesitation, Dabi chuckled devilishly.

"I'm messing with you," he reassured, leaning back against the counter, an evil glimmer in his eye. "You're not really my type."

Jin immediately relaxed.

"Man, I hate you," she rolled her eyes, the color of her cheeks slowly returning back to normal. "I didn't think I was your type either."

"Oh?" he cooed, suddenly perking up. "Why not?"

"Well…"

"Is it because I'm ugly?" Dabi asked casually, though secretly eager to hear her response. He never spoke about his issues with his appearance, especially with the way he carried himself, everyone thought he considered himself extremely attractive.

"No!" Jin immediately disagreed, to Dabi's surprise. "You're an attractive guy, but I'm the one who's pretty awkward and average."

"Plus you seem like you'd be into the sexy, bad girl type," she added.

"Hm, that's true," Dabi said coolly, trying to hide his satisfaction with her calling him attractive. "You seem like too much of a good girl, and you're so easy, damn."

"Hey, who are you calling easy?!"

Dabi chuckled as Jin tried to smack him, but he dodged quickly enough.

He was surprised she thought of herself as average, since Dabi himself found her pretty cute.

Feeling satisfied with his ego boost of the night, Dabi decided to do a good deed and helped Jin clean up and put away things on the tall shelves so she wouldn't have to use the janky step stool.

As Jin took her apron off, her phone buzzed.

It was a text from Todoroki.

Dabi's eyes flickered quickly over her phone screen as Jin swiftly typed a response, telling him that she was getting off work and headed home soon.

Dabi looked away and whistled casually once Jin finished and put the phone back into her pocket.

"Okay, I'm done."

"Sure you don't wanna grab that drink with me?"

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Hm, I guess I'll have to get laid by someone else tonight then."

"Yeah, have fun."

"I will—or you can come and we'll make it a threesome."

"Dude chill."

"I'm just messing with you."

Their sarcastic banter went back and forth as Jin put on her jacket and locked the doors to the shop, walking down the stairs.

She saw a dark figure standing by the lamp post a few feet in front of her and froze in her tracks, suddenly just slightly afraid, for some reason.

She hated the effect that night she got harassed had on her.

Dabi also paused mid-sentence to turn his attention to the dark silhouette.

"Didn't I tell you to fuckin' text me when you got off?" a familiar voice growled from the shadows, easing Jin's nerves.

"Bakugou…?"

Dabi pursed his lips at the sight of the blonde male making his way towards Jin.

He was wearing a black bomber jacket to keep warm in the evening, and Jin didn't think she's ever seen him this late before.

"Oh, I was about to text you," Jin quickly said, before Bakugou cut her off.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," he muttered. "Let's go."

"Where…?"

"I'm walking you home, you moron."

Bakugou's eyes flicked over to Dabi, who was watching him through tired, but piercing, turquoise eyes.

"Oh!" Jin realized she didn't even introduce them since she was so startled at the sight of Bakugou waiting outside her workplace. "Er, Bakugou, Dabi. Dabi, Bakugou."

"What's up… kid," Dabi flashed a grin similar to that of a cheshire cat, biting the last word of his greeting.

If Jin didn't know better, she would've thought it was almost menacing.

Bakugou just scoffed and turned away.

"Let's go."

Jin turned and smiled sheepishly at Dabi, silently apologizing for Bakugou's attitude before jogging after him.

Dabi just waved it off, watching the two intently as they chattered off into the night.

"How long have you been waiting? Sorry I didn't know you were here… You remembered when I got off though? Woooow."

"Shut up."

"You live around here right? You didn't come out _just_ for me, now did you?"

"I'd rather die than have to come out in the middle of the damn freezing night for you."

"Liar."

"Tch."

Dabi stood by himself for a bit before turning away to walk into the shadows of the dark alleyway behind the store.

 _Interesting_.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry for the late update, y'all! Did you guys like it? Please leave me comments if you did! I love reading them & they help motivate me to write faster & more often LOL. Who & what do you like so far? Anything specific you'd like to see? I'd love to know! Hope to see y'all soon 3


	6. Tough Guy

[Fanfiction readers can head over to Wattpad or AO3 if you want to see Jin's full outfit!]

Chapter song: "Ah Yeah" by August Alsina

"Where did you come from? Am I the only one that you make feel this way?"

* * *

"Hey scar-face, make yourself useful and get your crazy little girlfriend to stop stinkin' up the whole room, will ya?" Shigaraki hissed at Dabi.

"I don't control what she does or doesn't do," Dabi shrugged. "And she's not my girlfriend, shit-face."

Shigaraki scowled and went back to his room, muttering something under his breath on the way there.

"... I didn't ask for this…"

Dabi to glance at the red-haired girl draped across the couch grinning at him.

"I'm not your girlfriend?" she pouted her cherry-red lips, batting her long eyelashes at him. "Why don't you come over here and let me prove to you that I can be then, Dabi-kun?"

"Just tone down those scents of yours or whatever a notch," Dabi said nonchalantly, ignoring her before walking away and leaving.

"Hmph."

The girl reluctantly walked over and put a cap on her jar of fragrant powder—collecting and brewing different concoctions of varying scents for multiple purposes has made her a master at it over the years.

But if Dabi told her to tone it down a notch, then she would.

She could honestly say she loved Dabi.

They met when she was at the lowest point of her life, when she was worth nothing more than trampled garbage on the street.

She'd branded herself a criminal from a young age to survive, but then began finding pleasure in the evil of it all.

Her Quirk wasn't all that powerful though, but once the pro heroes caught on, it wasn't difficult to track her down for the mischief she caused.

If it wasn't for Dabi who fought off all those pro heroes single-handedly the night they finally got her, she may very well have been as good as a dead woman.

Perhaps it was love at first sight.

She adored his ruggedness, and his rough way of doing things to get what he wanted. She worshipped his power.

And, after all, they had decided to join the League of Villains together.

Well, maybe more like she followed him everywhere he went, but it was the same thing, really.

She thought back to the night they made the decision to associate themselves with the League—to have comrades and acquaintances.

" _I've brought you some newcomers," Giran gave a steely smile, breathing a puff of cigarette air out of his nose._

" _I go by Dabi," the tall, dark-haired man said lazily, tilting his head to the side after Toga's bubbly and slightly psychotic introduction of herself._

 _Shigaraki scratched his neck irritatedly at the new faces._

 _Why were people showing up now that Stain has spread his ideology everywhere? What was so great about that bastard anyway?  
_ " _Does this organization really have a just cause?" Dabi muttered dubiously, clearly skeptical of the League's purpose and capabilities._

" _You can't even do what that little high schooler can do," Shigaraki snapped, referring to Toga's history of murders that were kept under wraps by the authorities. "Not to mention you're bringing around a girl with you everywhere? Seriously? We're not a fucking brothel."_

 _Shigaraki scoffed at the red-haired girl standing slightly behind Dabi's tall, lanky body, her arm wrapped firmly around his._

 _Before he could react, the girl had darted up behind Shigaraki and back to Dabi's side in the blink of an eye._

 _Shigaraki felt a little sting on the back of his head._

" _What the hell did you do?" he growled, scratching his scalp._

 _The girl said nothing, but an evil, blood-thirsty smile curled up in her lips, her hazel eyes now full of wicked intent._

 _Just as Shigaraki was about to call her a crazy bitch, he felt his heart thump loudly, and felt as if it was lurching out of his chest._

 _Suddenly, he looked down and he had switched positions with her._

 _No, not just that._

 _His clothes were different._

 _They looked like hers now._

 _Why couldn't he move?_

 _Shigaraki was frozen in his place, until he looked up and saw his own reflection staring back at him._

 _The version of himself he saw staring back at him sat in his original chair, but tilted its head and grinned eerily at him._

 _Shigaraki finally put it together._

 _He had switched bodies with the girl, and not only that, but he couldn't move when he was in her body._

 _Was this her Quirk?_

 _With another jolt, Shigaraki felt his consciousness being flung back into his own body._

 _He gasped for air as he came back to his own senses, feeling the familiar sensation of his scarred fingertips against his skin again._

 _Dabi grinned, satisfied at the situation._

" _She can switch bodies with whoever she wants, whenever she wants, as long as she ingests any part of their DNA—in this case, a piece of your hair," Dabi explained coolly, smirking at Shigaraki's humiliation. "She's a little crazy, and always horny, but I wouldn't recommend underestimating her, Shigaraki."_

 _Dabi's biting edge when saying Shigaraki's name made him want to punch the young man in the face._

 _Dabi spoke again, glancing lazily down at the redhead, whose eyes sparkled with adoration back at him._

" _This… is Switch."_

* * *

"Let's… go… SHOPPING!" Mina squealed in celebration, after Aizawa-sensei had left the classroom.

Sure, she and a few others had failed the practical exam, but at least they were still allowed to go on the summer training camp trip, so _nothing_ was going to stop her from getting excited for that.

"That sounds so fun!" Ochaco chimed in cheerfully.

"Yeah!" Kaminari buzzed. "It'll be our first time hanging out as a class, won't it?"

"Bakugou, you're coming with us too!" Kirishima claimed, pointing at the angry blonde.

"Tch, as if I'd waste my time on something so damn stupid," Bakugou scoffed, proceeding to leave.

"Shouto, do you wanna come?" Jin turned then to her cool and collected friend, who stood up and got ready to leave as well.

"I visit my mother on our days off," he answered, looking down.

The truth was, he did want to spend time with his classmates—maybe Jin, more than anyone else—but no one could come before his mother. Not now, when he had finally patched things up with her, and she was a part of his life again.

"You damn party poopers!" Mineta clucked in annoyance at Todoroki and Bakugou's responses.

"Oh, sorry," Jin smiled sheepishly, ignoring the little grape head. "I remember you telling me that, but I forgot."

Todoroki blinked in surprise.

He didn't think she would expect herself to remember such trivial things about him—after all, she was a busy girl.

However, Jin did remember.

She had just hoped that, maybe, for some reason, Todoroki would be able to spare a day to socialize with his friends and classmates.

She thought it would be good for him to warm up to everyone else a bit more, but she also knew how important his mother was to him, and was happy for him that they were making amends.

"We can go next time," Todoroki said quietly, looking away. "Maybe after coffee?"

As Jin's eyes lit up, so did someone else's ears.

"Oi, if you wanna go shopping, then let's just fuckin go," Bakugou barked, storming in to Todoroki and Jin's conversation.

"Hey, didn't you leave…?" Kirishima pondered, trailing off as Bakugou shot him a death glare.

Bakugou stomped out of the room again once he'd made his declaration, as everyone else looked at each other, confused but amused.

"I mean, I was gonna go regardless…" Jin thought out loud, prompting a loud laughter from her classmates.

"Did you hear him say, 'let's,' Sero?" Kaminari asked, scratching his head. "I thought he said he didn't want to waste his time on something as stupid as hanging out with us?"

"Er… I think so?" Sero contemplated, the two boys' last few existing brain cells trying to decode Bakugou's strange behavior.

The girls simply giggled to each other.

* * *

Jin marveled at how large the shopping center was.

She'd heard Mina gush endlessly about how cool and fun the Kiyashi Ward shopping mall was, but it had been quite some time since Jin last came.

Her parents weren't around much, and Jin didn't always like shopping that much in person, but she absolutely loved the idea of going with her friends.

She was shocked at how it was much larger than she remembered—they added new stores and shiny new features, and the merits were reflected in the mountains of people walking around and enjoying themselves.

Jin was glad she decided to look nice today, as she would've been so embarrassed if she showed up in her pajamas with no makeup on at such a busy mall.

She had decided on going for a summery look, with a cute bandana that matched her yellow sneakers and off-the-shoulder top underneath her suspender pants. She liked her big geometric earrings the most—she felt like they made a statement and tied the whole outfit together.

Jin slowed her pace to match Bakugou's, who was walking at the back of the group behind Kirishima, surprisingly quietly.

"Lighten up, will you?" Jin chortled lightheartedly, gently punching him in the arm. "This is supposed to be fun!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever."

As class 1-A chattered off together, with Deku mumbling anxiously to himself and Tokoyami scolding him to stop scaring the children, their thoughts were interrupted by some shrill voices yelling at them.

"Oh! U-A students!" a group of boys yelled. "We saw them on TV! Yeeeaaaahhh!"

They cheered loudly as the students grinned back at them.

"Wow, people remember us!" Kirishima hollered, giving one of the boys a fist-bump in the air.

"I didn't know people paid that much attention," Ochaco blushed, rubbing the back of her neck and waving back at people.

Jin sent a warm, friendly smile towards a little girl staring at Bakugou in admiration, who, in turn, ignored her existence completely.

The little girl, who was perhaps five years old at most, reached her hand out to try and touch Bakugou's shirt.

The little girl's mother turned around to find her daughter walking towards Bakugou, and tried to stop her just as Bakugou noticed the tiny child.

"Hanako, that's rude!" the woman tried calling after her child as Bakugou turned to growl at her.

Jin slapped Bakugou's back—with a bit more force than she'd intended—at his aggression, and muttered threateningly under her breath, "Be nice."

Bakugou gritted his teeth grumpily, but looked away and patted the little girl's head as she clung onto his white T-shirt.

"I'm so sorry about that!" the woman apologized, gently tugging her daughter away.

"No worries at all!" Jin laughed. "Kids don't know any better, and this guy just needs to lighten up a bit. Your daughter is adorable."

As Bakugou scoffed at Jin's comment, the woman apologized again and thanked them before taking her daughter away.

Just Jin and Bakugou turned to continue walking with the rest of their classmates, they heard a voice behind them.

"U-um… excuse me!"

Jin and Bakugou turned around and saw a scrawny brown-haired boy slightly taller than her, but slightly shorter than Bakugou, who she assumed was the one who called out.

"H-Hi…" the boy began nervously.

Jin tried not to chuckle at how endearing his jitteriness was, despite them being about the same age—he kind of reminded her of Deku… which was probably why Bakugou was even more pissed off seeing him.

"Hi," she smiled politely but kindly, wondering what it was the boy needed from them. Was he lost?

But his face flushed a bright pink color at her response.

Jin noticed his group of friends standing a few feet away from them, snickering but watching the situation unfold intently.

"I-I…" he started hesitantly. "I think you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, and I was wondering if I could have your number!"

Jin's jaw dropped in surprise.

She looked behind her and saw nobody else except the rest of her classmates—who had all stopped and turned to see what was going on.

 _He's talking to_ me _?_

She was flattered, to say the least, but this was just so sudden that she didn't know how to react.

"O-oh, thank you!" she laughed awkwardly, still trying to decide what she wanted to do.

 _I mean, it wouldn't hurt to give it to him, but we don't really know each other… maybe he's a nice guy though? Hm… but what if he turns out to be a creep? How will I know if I don't give him a chance though…?_

Jin was so busy thinking that she didn't notice steam coming out of a certain blonde boy's ears.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, HUH?!" Bakugou roared from beside her, causing the timid boy to cower in fear. "IF YOU DON'T GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO BREAK EVERY SINGLE DAMN BONE IN YOUR BODY, YA DAMN NERD!"

"I-I'm sorry!"

Needless to say, the mortified boy disappeared in an instant.

"Bakugou!" Jin sighed exasperatedly.

"Uhh… so meet back here in two hours?" Kirishima said awkwardly while everyone else nodded and dispersed immediately, leaving the two of them standing in the middle of the colossal mall.

She was annoyed that Bakugou was so unnecessarily rude to people, but couldn't help but laugh at how personally offended he looked that someone asked for her number.

"Don't be so mean to people all the time," Jin scolded. "Did you see how nervous that poor guy was? He had to do it in front of his friends too, which must've been scary as hell."

"I don't give a fuck," he snapped. "Damn losers had the nerve…"

Jin sighed again, deciding to let it go.

"Come on, let's go," she said, tugging him away with her. "If we're here to do some shopping, we have to actually walk around, not just terrorize innocent people."

"Whatever," he muttered, letting himself be led away by Jin.

He didn't say anything else as he looked away irritatedly, but still taking note of the firm grasp Jin had on his hand.

As the two walked around, with Bakugou complaining occasionally at how "all her shit looks the same," Jin was quite satisfied after purchasing some new sunscreen, more sports bras, and a new jacket that would feel light but still keep her warm during the nighttime.

Bakugou wasn't exactly the most pleasant person to be around all the time, but she enjoyed his company, and appreciated that he came out with them in the end.

She also couldn't deny how they probably looked like a couple walking around together, and she'd force him to hold her bags for her if she needed to try something on.

When he'd refuse, she'd glower at him and ask if he thinks it's reasonable for her to take all her belongings into the tiny fitting room just to try on one single item, which shut him up immediately.

But, despite it all, she acknowledged that he was doing well for someone who hates socializing and going out.

"Let's go get ice cream at the food court," Jin suggested. "You look a little hangry—my treat!"

"Plus you've worked hard today," she teased.

"What the fuck is 'hangry,'" he grumbled.

"You know, like hungry and angry? Hangry?"

"That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard."

"Fuck you dude I'm not buying your damn ice cream then."

"Yeah you are. You offered, so there's no backing out now."

"Oh, so _now_ you wanna listen to the things I say?"

Bakugou snickered as he and Jin made their way to the food court, but she slowed down once she saw Ochaco standing by herself.

Jin stopped and observed her friend for a bit, who seemed to be deep in thought.

She realized that Ochaco was standing against the railing of the second floor, looking down at Deku on the first floor, and mumbling to herself.

Putting the pieces together, Jin sighed and walked over to her, though amused.

Bakugou simply stayed put where he was—after all, he came to be with Jin, not the rest of these damn extras.

Not that he'd ever say that out loud though.

"You know, Ochaco-chan," Jin began, startling the curvy little girl as she jumped at Jin's voice. "It's okay to spend more time with the person you like, there's nothing wrong with that."

"P-person I like?!" she blubbered, face flushing red. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Jin-chan!"

"Well, it doesn't have to be someone you like," Jin laughed innocently, deciding to cut the poor girl some slack. "Even if you just want to spend more time with them in general or as friends, it's better to let them know and make the effort, than to just watch from afar and not do anything about it. Everyone wants to know they're appreciated."

Bakugou stood behind and minded his own business, though catching on to every word Jin was saying.

"O-oh, I know that!" Ochaco claimed, grinning sheepishly. She glanced behind Jin and made eye contact with Bakugou briefly, and immediately turned back to Jin. "I'm gonna go first then, have fun!"

Before Jin could say anything else, Ochaco darted away faster than she'd ever seen.

Jin tried not to laugh, as she didn't want to say Deku's name out loud since Bakugou was right there, but it was just _soooo_ obvious.

"Are we getting ice cream or what?" Bakugou huffed, walking past Jin.

"What're you in such a rush for? Trying to pay for your own?"

Bakugou slowed down at these words and waited for Jin to catch up to him.

Jin smirked.

These days, she felt more comfortable with Bakugou, especially after he'd begun walking home with her after she got off late at work occasionally.

He always came up with some shitty excuses like needing to "grab some toothpaste" or "picking up some hot pads" at the store, but Jin knew there were other places closer to him he could've gone to.

Bakugou had a good heart, but he just always felt too strong of a need to keep his tough-guy act up to ever say it or admit it.

She was okay with that though; as long as people's hearts were in the right place, Jin valued their friendship.

* * *

"So what's her name?" Todoroki's mother, Rei, asked her son, catching him off guard.

"What's whose name?" he asked, confused.

Rei smiled softly at her son.

"We may not have talked for a long time, but I'm still your mother, Shouto," she hummed gently. "I can tell when something's different—I noticed the day you came to see me for the first time."

"What's different, mother?" Shouto asked, still oblivious.

Rei sighed.

"You're less tense these days," she observed. "Your heart is a bit more open, and you just feel warmer than before."

"Is that so?" he gave her a delicate smile, wondering how it was possible to notice such subtle things that he didn't think much of.

"Is there someone on your mind these days?" Rei inquired, a twinkle in her eyes. "A girl, perhaps?"

Todoroki just barely stiffened up for a brief moment, but nothing could escape his mothers' observational gaze.

She waited patiently for Shouto to answer her.

He knew he didn't have to, but if he was willing to share, she would love to know—both as his mother, and as someone who hopes to be able to guide him through feelings of affection, so he would not make the same mistakes she or Enji did when they were young.

"It's nothing important, but I have this classmate—" Shouto finally began after some thought.

"This friend," he corrected himself. "Her name is Jin."

* * *

Author's note: Hi everyone! Wooow, a consistent update? UNHEARD OF. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! I'm trying really hard to write a new chapter every 1-2 weeks, so let me know what you thought :-) Who do you ship? TodoJin? BakuJin? Dabi & Jin? Reading your comments always makes me smile and gives me more motivation to write, so please keep them coming! Thank you all for the support, it means so much to me :'D See you all soon!


	7. Shouto

[Fanfiction readers can get over to Wattpad or AO3 to see Jin's full outfit!]

Chapter song: "Shy" by Jai Waetford

"A million words stuck up in my head waiting to be said, but my tongue is stumbling."

"You don't have a clue what you do to me—girl, you make me shy."

* * *

Todoroki sat at his desk alone, staring off into the distant city through his glass window.

He wondered why his mother had smiled at him in such a knowing manner when he visited her… was there something she was hiding from him?

Something she knew that he didn't, perhaps?

She had asked Shouto to tell her about his classmate—his friend, as he corrected himself—Jin.

How they met, what she was like, if he had any photos of her.

That was when he realized that he didn't have any pictures of her.

Was it common for classmates to keep pictures of each other on their phones?

Well, actually, he did have one—Jin had asked him if he wanted to get dessert with her some time ago.

* * *

" _Jin," Todoroki called, approaching the raven-haired girl, whose back was towards him._

" _Oh hey!" she turned around, putting her phone away in her pocket. "I was just about to text you—"_

 _Jin froze before finishing her sentence, once her body was fully facing Todoroki._

" _Oh my god."_

 _Todoroki blinked in confusion._

" _What?" he asked, put off by her sudden change in demeanor._

 _Jin looked down at herself, then back up at the white and red haired boy._

" _We're matching!" she laughed, covering her mouth to keep herself from snorting._

 _Todoroki, too, looked down at his clothing and back up at Jin._

" _Oh, what a coincidence," he commented blankly._

 _They had both decided to wear blue coats, a white top, and black bottoms: Todoroki, with black jeans cuffed at the ankles, and Jin, with a black miniskirt and some tights to keep it modest in front of him._

" _Let's take a picture!" Jin chirped, pulling out her phone once again, and opening her camera app. "This is too funny to not take a picture."_

 _Todoroki, not given a chance to protest, immediately came face-to-face with his reflection in Jin's phone._

 _Jin flashed a bright smile, while her friend casually put up a peace sign, at a loss for anything else to do with his hands._

 _God, why was taking pictures always such an uncomfortable thing for him?_

" _One… two… three!" Jin counted, snapping a few pictures in succession._

" _Well,_ one _of us has to change our clothes," Jin joked after putting her phone away, gesturing for Todoroki to leave._

What _?_

 _Was it really that big of a deal?_

" _Well," Todoroki hesitated. "I could go back if you really wanted me to, but it would be a bit inconvenient… but if it bothers you that much—"_

 _Jin rolled her eyes and sighed, forgetting that her friend didn't exactly have a quick sense of humor, and sometimes (all the time) didn't pick up too well on social cues._

" _Shouto, I'm kidding."_

 _Todoroki stiffened up, going quiet._

 _Jin, now a bit uneasy at his silence, asked, "Sorry, did I overdo the sarcasm?"_

" _No, it's just…" he began. "You've started calling me Shouto more recently."_

 _This caught Jin off guard, as she blushed slightly._

" _Oh, I guess so."_

 _Smiling just the slightest bit before turning away, Todoroki broke the silence._

" _Come on, let's go get the dessert you wanted."_

* * *

Todoroki unlocked his phone to check Jin's social media profile.

He scrolled down to the day she posted that picture of them together, which had garnered a few likes from their classmates and some of her friends.

Her caption read, "can't believe we really showed up wearing the same thing today lmao"

Todoroki's lips curled into a soft smile, until he realized that there were two more photos she posted in succession to that one—he must have missed it the day she posted it.

He swiped to see what else there was; following the first picture of them posing for the camera, the second photo showed a giggly Jin laughing at the camera about how awkward Todoroki was while he stood slightly behind her, simply watching her.

Swiping to see the third and final photo, Todoroki's eyes widened a bit.

In the picture, Todoroki was looking down and rubbing his neck apologetically, most likely for being a bit camera-shy. Meanwhile, Jin's eyes glimmered as she watched him endearingly, mid-laugh at how clueless he looked.

It felt like he could hear the sound of her voice just by looking at the photo on his phone screen.

Todoroki couldn't place his finger on why, but he really loved this picture, and the way Jin looked at him.

 _She's pretty when she laughs._

Shaking his head to rid his mind of these odd thoughts, he screenshotted the two new pictures to save to his camera roll.

Now he had two extra photos to show his mother the next time he visits her.

Scratching his arm, he looked down to see an ant crawling towards his rolled-up sleeve.

Taking the little bug gently on his finger, Todoroki cracked open his window and allowed it to crawl outside.

He stared at his palm for a bit, before burying his face in his hands.

He still couldn't believe he grabbed Jin's wrist to stop her from leaving him for Bakugou the other day.

What the _hell_ was he thinking?

Todoroki was lucky he didn't freeze Jin's arm into a big block of ice—if that had happened, or worse, if he hurt her, he could never forgive himself.

He's learned to avoid physical contact with people—even handshakes—due to his lack of control over his Quirk growing up, so never in his wildest dreams would he ever have thought his body would act on its own, reaching out to hold someone else.

But he did, and she was okay.

Todoroki wondered if Jin should be afraid of him—she knew how powerful he was, but never shied away. In fact, she was the one who persistently reached out to him.

So warmly.

So kindly.

She treated him like a friend, and Todoroki, though adverse to affection and unsure of how to express appreciation or provide reciprocation, valued her.

Perhaps he was letting his guard down a little.

Perhaps she was important to him.

After all, Akarui Jin was the one who made him even _begin_ to consider physical contact with other people maybe being alright.

* * *

 _Jin and Todoroki placed their orders once they reached the dessert house—a soft-serve ice cream and a matcha latte, respectively—while Jin left Todoroki to sit by himself for a bit to use the restroom._

 _When she returned after waiting in an agonizingly long line for a bathroom stall, Jin felt as though something was a bit off while walking back towards Todoroki._

 _She scanned the room quickly, until her eyes landed on a group of four girls about her age, whispering to each other and stealing not-so-discreet glances at the boy, who scrolled obliviously through his phone._

 _Jin wondered if they recognized him from watching the sports festival on TV, but it wasn't until the prettiest girl in the group—seemingly the leader—was just shamelessly_ staring _at him that Jin felt a wave of irritation wash over her._

 _She hated this feeling of jealousy, since she knew she didn't own Todoroki or anything, but the way these girls were ogling over him was really rubbing her the wrong way._

 _It didn't help that the stranger was extremely attractive either._

 _Sighing, Jin made her way back to her friend after picking up their now-ready orders on the way._

 _He looked back up at her, saying casually, "Welcome back."_

" _Thanks," she said, sitting down next to him at the bar-style table in front of the large glass window of the dessert house and handing him his drink._

 _She debated whether or not she should say anything about the table of girls sitting a few feet away from them, watching Todoroki like hawks._

" _You know you're being watched, right?" Jin couldn't help but ask, nonchalantly eating her ice cream with a spoon._

 _Todoroki looked up, blinked in the direction of the girls (which prompted a more enthusiastic response than Jin would've liked), and looked back at Jin._

" _Yes, they're not very discreet, and we're supposed to be trained to be mindful of our surroundings, remember?" Todoroki answered, unsure of where Jin was going with this._

" _Yeah, I know," Jin replied._

 _To be honest, she wasn't sure where she was going with this either._

" _Although I can't help but wonder why," Todoroki pondered, sipping his latte slowly through the straw. "Do I know them? Have I wronged them in some way? Should I confront them?"_

" _God, no," Jin waved her hands, palming her face at her friend's cluelessness. "I'm pretty sure they just think you're really attractive."_

" _Why would they think that?" he asked, genuinely confused._

" _Because you are," Jin answered simply, as if it was common knowledge._

 _The two friends stared at each other, as Jin's words floated in the air between them._

 _Her eyes darted away from his as his face flushed just a little bit._

 _Did she really just say that?_

Oh shit play it cool play it cool act like you were totally fine with saying that and that there was nothing weird about it—

" _Er, thank you," Todoroki said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I'm not interested in them though."_

" _You're welcome," Jin mumbled just as awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. "Really? Not even a little bit?"_

 _Todoroki shook his head slowly, not the least bit concerned._

" _The girl who's staring you down like a starving vulture is kinda pretty though," Jin baited teasingly and glanced at the female over Todoroki's shoulder, admittedly eager to hear his answer._

" _Well, it would be better if she wasn't interested," Todoroki asserted, ruffling his bi-colored hair—which only incited a series of gasps and giggles from the group. "I'm not here to spend time with her."_

 _He looked straight at Jin, striking a chord within her._

 _Her heart skipped a beat at Todoroki's gaze; though cool in demeanor, she couldn't help but wonder if there was more behind it._

" _Well," she began, sitting up with a grin. "I'm a master at being annoying, so if you really don't want their attention, I'll do you a solid and take care of that for ya."_

 _Before Todoroki could question what she meant, Jin scooted her chair closer to him, spooning a small chunk of her ice cream and holding it up a few inches from his face._

" _Try some," she beamed innocently, her eyes conveying the crystal clear message that he was to do as he was told without question._

 _Todoroki complied and slowly leaned in, his heart rate slowly speeding up._

 _He wasn't shaken up easily, so why did it feel like his heart was about to pound out of his chest?_

 _Jin simply continued to smile at him, completely unshaken._

 _Todoroki looked away with a growing furious blush on his cheeks, allowing Jin to spoon-feed him some of her ice cream, which didn't seem to help the burning sensation in his face._

 _The creamy dessert melted on his tongue, and Todoroki wonder if ice cream has always tasted this sweet._

 _Meanwhile, Jin merely resumed eating her food, glancing briefly over Todoroki's shoulder again._

 _The group of girls were now muttering to each other, and definitely not as enthusiastically as before._

 _Surely enough, all of them had stopped staring, and a bit bitterly at that._

" _Come on," Jin said, standing up. "Let's walk around for a bit."_

 _She pulled Todoroki away from his seat, linking her arm with his._

 _Todoroki stared blankly at his arm and simply let Jin guide him to wherever she wanted._

 _Being held, even if just a little, didn't feel so bad._

* * *

Todoroki still wasn't quite sure why he felt this way about Jin, but all he knew was that he enjoyed being around her.

Sometimes, it would rub him the wrong way if their time together was shortened by someone else—namely Bakugou.

But no matter what, her voice, her presence, and her warmth somehow always found a way to ease Todoroki's nerves. It made him feel just a little less cold, and he wasn't talking about his icy Quirk.

He could safely say that, if anything, he enjoyed her company. He hoped that they wouldn't just be a temporary presence in each other's lives.

Todoroki closed his eyes and smiled softly, before getting up to get ready for bed.

* * *

Author's note: Hi everyone! Wow, another consistent update I literally do not know who I am anymore lmao. Sorry if the chapter's a bit short! I had another section planned but decided to save it for the next chapter so I could just post this tonight :-) how are you guys liking the story? The characters? What did you think of the chapter? I'd love to know! Thank you to everyone who commented—they made my day & really helped me find motivation to keep writing, so please leave me comments! I love reading them :') See you soon! xx


	8. What I'd Do To You (NSFW)

[WARNING: This chapter is NSFW! In other words it's smut/lemon. If that's not your thing, you can skip this chapter as it's not imperative to understanding the plot—otherwise, enjoy!]

[Fanfiction readers can head over to Wattpad or AO3 to see Jin's full outfit!]

Chapter song: "Love in the Sky" by The Weeknd

"I'm always getting high 'cause my confidence is low, and I'm always in a rush, ain't no time to fuck slow..."

"Even if I try, it's not something I would know—but I'm sure I'll make you cum two or three times in a row."

* * *

Intrigued.

That's how Dabi would describe how he felt towards Jin.

Sure, she was cute, and he enjoyed teasing her just to see her flustered and try to hide the burning blush on her face, but he didn't want to go as far as to say he had _feelings_ for her.

Honestly, if it were up to him, he probably wouldn't mind having her as a fuck buddy.

Being a villain was tiring work, especially since Dabi was still trying to find a balance between sticking to his own morals, but being ruthless in the way he carried them out.

After all, he couldn't be seen as weak.

But, even after months, he couldn't believe his attraction towards Jin. Towards a _hero_.

Just thinking about that word left a bad taste in his mouth.

Dabi is a lot of things, but being blind, or dumb, is not one of them.

He started noticing himself going out of his way to spend time with the U.A. student, just to _see_ her, much more than he'd ever done with anyone else.

He had always been apathetic guy, cool and aloof, so what the hell was so _damn_ interesting about her, huh?

It went against his lazy, uncaring nature to put in the extra effort to follow Jin around and have a pretty good idea of where he could find her at any time.

In other words, stalking.

Dabi wondered if Jin would freak out upon finding out how much he really knew about her.

He chuckled sadistically to himself—either reaction would be lovely, he was sure.

Honestly, he loved getting reactions out of her.

A sweet, innocent girl getting flustered over a bad guy like him.

A little lamb completely oblivious to the dirty intentions of the big bad wolf—a classic trope, really.

Maybe Dabi just had a thing for corrupting people.

A memory flashed briefly through Dabi's mind, when he cryptically hinted at his unclean record to Jin.

He couldn't even remember how they had got onto that topic.

"Maybe I'm just a bad guy," Dabi had shrugged casually, glancing away from Jin.

"You don't seem like a bad guy," she commented without looking up, counting the cash in the register.

"And you're just that confident in your people-reading abilities?" he chuckled skeptically.

"Maybe."

"Can't trust anyone these days," Dabi hummed, leaning over the counter to get closer to Jin. "Maybe you should be afraid of me."

"Unlike you, I don't have trust issues," Jin shot back, meeting his eye. "Plus, I'm not scared of you. I could kick your ass if it came down to it, probably."

"I sure hope you're joking doll, cuz you might just embarrass yourself if we tried going at it," Dabi smirked.

Jin simply shrugged, returning her attention to the task at hand.

"Well, you're not scary to me," she stated, grinning as she put the cash from the register away. "Or else I wouldn't be talking to you like this."

"Hmm."

The two stood in silence as Jin finished up documenting the store earnings for the day, while Dabi watched her carefully.

Reaching the entrance of the League of Villains' hideout, Dabi snapped back to reality.

" _You don't seem like a bad guy."_

" _You're not scary to me."_

Jin's words rang in Dabi's head as he opened the door and entered the building.

He could get used to her being around him more.

"Dabi-kun, welcome home~" a voice sang sweetly as the tall, lanky male walked in.

He looked up and froze.

"Jin?"

Dabi had come face-to-face with the familiar black-haired girl, who was dressed in a skimpier version of her usual school uniform.

Well, it didn't look that much like a uniform at all.

Dabi was pretty sure schools wouldn't allow garters, stilettos, or miniskirts so short he could see her exposed ass.

 _What the fuck, are those devil horns?_

Her shirt wasn't even doing its job of covering her up, as Dabi could see every bit of what was underneath.

Before Dabi had a chance to process what was happening, Jin had closed the distance between them, her body almost pressed up against his.

"You look a little stressed," she purred in her velvety voice, relishing in the look of surprise on his face. "Wanna see a magic trick?"

She waved a black wand with a red bow on it in a theatrical way, and reached into her unbuttoned dress shirt to pull a rose out of her bra.

"Ta-da~" she sang, handing him the rose.

Finally realizing the situation, Dabi decided to play along for now.

"Nice," he said coolly, taking the rose from her, unfazed.

Determined to get a reaction out of him, Jin closed the remaining space between them, and put her head on his chest.

She looked up into his bright, cyan eyes through her lashes, pouting.

"Are you not impressed?" she whined.

Dabi merely grunted, running his fingers through one of her sleek, black pigtails, giving it a little tug.

"Should we try something else then?" Jin suggested sweetly, her hand sliding down to Dabi's thigh.

"Like what?" Dabi responded uninterestedly, cupping her cheeks to turn her face up at him. "What do you wanna try?"

"Why don't you try fucking me with your big fat cock, _daddy_?"

That was enough.

A bright blue flame emerged and singed a bit of Jin's skin on her arm as she yelped and darted away just in time.

"What did you do to her, you fucking psycho?" Dabi growled, hurling another flame in her direction.

Jin's body began to morph, until the female began to resemble Toga again.

"Aw, how sweet, Dabi-kun!" Toga howled hysterically. "Are you worried about her?"

"I asked you… what you did," Dabi hissed, fire burning in his palm.

"Don't worry!" Toga giggled, licking the burn mark Dabi left on her seductively. "I just got a little bit of her blood to mess with you, but I don't even think she noticed~"

"Fucking sadist," Dabi muttered, untensing his shoulders, the flames disappearing in an instant.

"What the hell are you morons making a fuss about?" Shigaraki fumed, swinging the door to the lounge open as he scanned Toga from head to toe—who now looked better-fitting in the clothes, as she's shrunk back to her petite size.

"Dabi-kun here has a new little friend!" Toga sang. "When are you going to introduce us?"

"I don't know what the fuck you're on about," Dabi scoffed, the familiar, tired look returning to his eyes.

He noticed that Switch had entered the room a while ago too, most likely catching the end of Toga and Dabi's little scuffle.

"Oh?" Shigaraki raised an eyebrow at the dark-haired male. "You have _friends_?"

"Her name is Jin, apparently!" Toga yelped excitedly. "She works at a convenience store near where we launched our first attack that time…"

"Have you been following me, you little shit?" Dabi cursed.

"I was just curious!" Toga grinned innocently.

"Ugh, seriously Dabi?" Shigaraki chastised. "I sent you to patrol that area and follow up on the Nomu's, and you were out fucking some _girl_?"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," Dabi began. "We didn't fuck… yet."

Dabi snickered as the last word prompted a piercing glare from Shigaraki.

"Keep your dick in your pants until we finish the job, asshole," Shigaraki spat.

"Hey man, just cuz you can't get laid doesn't mean the rest of us have to go down with you," Dabi smirked, his remark inciting a giggle from Toga.

"Well how about I kill her then?" Shigaraki threatened, wiping Dabi's shit-eating grin right off his face. "Why don't you tell us why you've been keeping this little toy of yours a secret, huh?"

Dabi shrugged.

"I just thought she might be a good addition to the League," Dabi lied. "I was going to tell you after I was completely sure."

Well, it wasn't a _complete_ lie.

Dabi already said earlier he wouldn't mind if Jin hung around him more… it's just that recruitment wasn't exactly the reason why he was always going to see her.

But coming up with a shitty excuse was better than trying to be secretive about it, or else Shigaraki might actually go after Jin.

Or who knows what that crazy bitch Toga might do?

"Hm."

Shigaraki merely grunted and left the room, surprisingly easily.

Toga also skipped off, humming to herself satisfyingly for causing a ruckus. She loved mess. And drama. And dressing up.

Dabi made eye contact with Switch, who had been watching quietly from the corner of the room.

The redhead smiled at him and left as well, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

She didn't show it, but she was annoyed and bothered now.

During the time she's known Dabi, she'd come to accept that Dabi wasn't a very open person—they all had their secrets, and she wasn't going to pry.

But now, knowing that there's been someone else—another _girl_ —in his life that he's been frequently visiting… now _that_ was a whole other story.

Switch had burned Jin's face into her mind, not wanting to forget a single detail of her face.

Toga could be a little crazy, but if there was anything useful about her, it was her Quirk.

Switch knew how accurate it was, and trusted that her imitation of Jin was flawless.

If that was true, then Switch now had another girl to worry about.

She couldn't forget the way Dabi looked at her—he acted uninterested, sure, but there was no hiding the desire that burned in his eyes.

Why would Dabi be so drawn to her?

The girl was cute, sure, but what about her abilities? Was she a villain? A regular civilian? What the hell was their relationship?

Yes, Switch was jealous.

She was jealous as _fuck_.

But just being jealous wasn't going to do anything… she had some digging to do.

Meanwhile, Dabi sighed tiredly as he made his way back to his room, annoyed that he had to get so worked up because of Toga's psychotic tendencies.

He sat at his desk and looked down at his scarred hand thoughtfully.

Dabi knew Toga's transformation of Jin was fake, but he couldn't deny how realistic it felt.

To stand before her, to have her latch onto his arm, to hold her close.

He could feel her heartbeat as she pressed up against him, and he was lucky he sent Toga flying as soon as her hand traveled down his leg, or he might have popped a boner right then and there.

What can he say? At the end of the day, he's still a guy.

It'd be hard not to get turned on when someone—even if they were just posing as Jin—was wearing barely anything and begging you to fuck them.

Not to mention, she called him _daddy_.

Dabi clicked his tongue irritatedly.

Damn Toga, that crazy ass bitch.

He tried to brush it off, but he admitted that she really knew which of Dabi's buttons to push to get him riled up.

His member began to pulse in his black pants.

Hell, if it was actually Jin in that moment, he might've just taken her right then and there.

He didn't care if there were other people in the room, he still would've fucked her raw.

Dabi felt his groin ache as he couldn't help his mind from wandering, thinking about all the things he'd do to Jin if she let him.

In all honesty, he'd probably fuck her anywhere and everywhere.

In a dark alleyway, pinned up against a wall, even on the kitchen table of the hideout.

If she sucked him off, he'd make her get on her knees and he'd fuck her pretty little face while grabbing fistfuls of her hair, until he shot his thick, creamy load down her throat and all over her face.

She'd be his little angel and his little devil.

Dabi was hard as a rock at this point and sighed before giving in, unzipping his pants to reveal his throbbing member that sprung out of his boxers.

Dabi was a pretty simple guy and didn't have many belongings in his room, or on his desk.

Just a lamp, a box of tissues, and some lotion—the essentials, really.

Not like he cared that the others could guess what he was up to—it wasn't really a secret that Dabi was a pretty filthy guy, considering the sheer amount of sexual references he makes in a day.

Remembering the feeling of Jin's body pressing against his own earlier, Dabi began to stroke himself, slowly at first, then gradually quicker.

He imagined her riding him, bouncing up and down as she tossed her head back in ecstasy, moaning his name.

Dabi pumped himself faster, his breathing getting heavier as well.

The good thing about seeing Jin so often these days is that he seemed to have a good grasp on what her body would be like, and definitely had a clearer and more vivid imagination than before.

He could practically feel her walls clenching around his member, and it felt so fucking good.

"F-fuck…" Dabi groaned, pumping his shaft relentlessly as his hips grinded into the base of his chair, its legs wobbling in the process.

He didn't want to leave his fantasy just yet, but thinking about his little princess sucking on his fingers and screaming for him to go deeper and faster sent him over the edge.

Dabi grunted Jin's name softly and cursed under his breath as he came, attempting to catch his cum and keep it from discharging all over his desk.

He covered his tip, now dripping with cum, with his hands and sat there for a minute to catch his breath before cleaning himself up.

 _Fuckin' Toga._

One day, he'll make sure Jin succumbs to him.

He couldn't wait to finish inside her, or watch her swallow it and lick him clean before going for round two.

Well, for now, his hand will have to do—but hopefully not for long.

* * *

Author's note: YooooooOOOO sorry this chapter was totally unplanned but I got carried away & ended up writing smut LMAO. Hope you guys liked it though! I love Bakugou & Todoroki but Dabi always just strikes me as a horny piece of shit & I love it LOL. What did you guys think? I might post this sooner than scheduled which will mean the next chapter is coming a little later, but let me know your thoughts! I looooove reading comments & they definitely help me write faster, haha. Much love xx


	9. Perfect Fit

[Fanfiction readers can head over to Wattpad or AO3 to see Jin's full outfit!]

Chapter song: "Floating (Filous Remix)" by Alina Baraz (PLEASE listen to this song omg it's so cute)

"It's in the way that you're holding me, bringing me close—you know that I won't let go."

"You've got me in a dream."

"I let my worries go soon as you come through the door, thinking 'bout what it'd be like to be yours."

* * *

Jin was over the moon.

She couldn't believe what was happening.

Her palms began to feel slightly sweaty as she tucked her long, silky black hair behind her ear, sneaking a glance at Todoroki who sat beside her, to her right.

Jin looked out the airplane window on her left at the buildings growing smaller and smaller, before all she could see were fluffy white clouds, and they were officially flying in the sky.

"Thanks for inviting me, Shouto," Jin grinned, turning to her friend, who glanced down at her.

"Of course," he nodded. "I just can't believe the airport staff messed up our seating like that, and had the audacity to offer us seats in economy class…"

Jin rolled her eyes at the irritated boy who continued to mutter in annoyance under his breath.

"Seriously, it's fine," she persuaded, patting his shoulder. "Things happen, and we're lucky enough to get seats so we won't be late—you need to try letting things go more."

"Plus, I can't believe you've never flown economy," she exclaimed, jokingly shunning him. "You can experience the lives of us commoners for once."

Jin smiled lightheartedly at him, and Todoroki's expression softened, slightly embarrassed.

"I suppose."

"But really, I'm super grateful that you invited me to the event," Jin said earnestly. "I was so sad when I lost to Jiro and Ochaco at rock-paper-scissors for Momo's two free tickets…"

"Well I'm just there to represent my father, which I'm not exactly eager to do," Shouto commented. "It's nice having company."

Jin blushed slightly, trying to hide her giddiness.

"Are you sure you don't want me to pay you back?" Jin questioned, glancing out of the airplane uneasily. "I'm sure it's not cheap to get plane tickets or being admitted to the event—especially since I'm not even the one they originally put on their guest list, plus the hotel and everything…"

"Jin, it's fine," Todoroki cut her off firmly. "It's all my father's money, and trust me, you don't need to worry about paying that douche back."

"In fact," Todoroki added, after a second thought. "Spend as much as you want."

"I know you two don't get along, but that's terrible," Jin laughed, though admittedly feeling much better; from what Todoroki has told her, Endeavor didn't seem like that great of a guy, but she didn't feel like she was in the position to be the judge of that. "I'm glad we get to go together though—I think it'll be fun."

"I hope so," Todoroki responded with a small smile.

Jin and Todoroki were on their way to the I Expo convention, which was being held on the floating man made city, 'I Island.' Researchers from all over the world gathered there, a place known as the Hollywood of Science—it was a privilege to be there, and also a rare opportunity.

After Jin expressed her disappointment in not being able to go without knowing Todoroki was invited on behalf of his father, the red-and-white-haired boy had gotten her an extra ticket to be his plus-one. Jin was flattered, and honored, to say the least.

But words couldn't describe the excitement she felt, knowing she'd be spending a couple of days with someone she was so emotionally invested in.

After all, a plus-one usually implied that it was a date, didn't it?

Jin's parents were hesitant on letting her go, since it was an expensive trip and they'd never met this classmate of hers, but after much convincing that Todoroki would absolutely _not_ let her pay him back and that they'd be staying in separate hotel rooms—as well as spending time with their other classmates—Jin's parents finally gave in.

After talking with Todoroki for a few minutes once the plane was in the air, Jin's eyelids began to feel heavy.

She had barely gotten any sleep the night before, mainly out of excitement, but chugging an entire cup of coffee was supposed to do the trick.

Everything began to feel blurry as she did her best to keep her eyes open, but she began nodding off began even realizing it. The push and pull between her consciousness was relentless, as she struggled to stay awake.

"You should rest a little," Todoroki urged gently, slightly amused at his friend's head bobbing up and down, despite her efforts.

"Huh?" Jin snapped her head up. "Oh no, I'm fine."

"You can put your head on my shoulder if you'd like," Todoroki offered, a slight blush creeping up on his cheeks as he looked away as to not let Jin catch it.

Jin's face flushed the same shade of pink, as she politely declined.

"I'll stay awake so I don't have trouble falling asleep when we get there," she insisted, slapping her cheeks a few times to get the blood flowing. "I don't wanna be jet-lagged."

"Alright then."

Of course, knowing Jin, she did not stay awake.

Only a mere five minutes had passed before the raven-haired girl resembled what looked like a mop, her head hanging down limply.

Todoroki chuckled at the sight.

 _She's just so stubborn_ , he thought to himself.

He gingerly tipped her head to the right with his hand so that it rested gently on his left shoulder—her head fit perfectly in the crevice of his shoulder and neck, as if they were two puzzle pieces made to fit together.

Trying not to wake his sound friend, Todoroki brushed a bit of Jin's hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear like she always did out of habit—surely it was uncomfortable to sleep with her face buried in her own hair.

Surprised at how soft and smooth Jin's hair was, Todoroki ran his fingers through it ever so lightly, with the touch of a feather.

Smelling like coffee and clean shampoo as she rested her head on him, Jin was completely knocked out as Todoroki's lips curled into a small smile. He then tipped his own head to the left, letting it lean against hers.

Their heights were perfect for each other, really.

Todoroki took his phone from his pants pocket as slowly as he could, and swiped open his camera app, snapping a quick photo.

He looked at it closely, and felt his heart speed up ever-so-slightly. He liked how they looked together.

Upon closer thought, Todoroki couldn't believe someone could be so physically close to him, but even more so that someone would let him be so close to them.

His cheeks began to heat up as a little chunk of ice appeared in his palm, causing him to quickly shake it off.

He needed to get a grip.

But why did his chest feel so tight?

Suddenly he wished that this plane ride, with its cramped spacing and all, would never end.

Meanwhile, Jin smiled in her sleep, softly snuggling her head deeper into Todoroki's shoulder, inciting an even more furious burn in his cheeks.

Perhaps he enjoyed sitting in economy class.

* * *

Author's note: Hi everyone! Sorry for the short chapter, this was supposed to take place during the Two Heroes movie, but I decided to split it into multiple chapters instead of having one gigantic one so you guys can read the updates as soon as I write them! I'm honestly so in love with this chunk of the story and I really enjoy writing it (hopefully you guys will too!), so please let me know what you think in the comments :')


	10. Breathtaking

[Fanfiction readers can head over to AO3 or Wattpad to see Jin's full outfits!]

Chapter song: "Black Coffee" by Nightly

"It's all these things you do that drive me wild: the smell of your sweatshirt, the way that your hair looks… the way it's in your face."

"Your lipstick stains look so enticing."

* * *

"Woooow," Jin marveled, looking around at the grand convention space. She had never seen such a beautiful space before, and could only imagine how much money went into preparing for this convention.

The tall buildings with such intricate designs made her feel so small.

"Is there anything you want to see in particular?" Todoroki asked from beside her as they walked at a matching pace.

"Hmm, not really," Jin responded, fixing her bangs a little bit and pulling a few strands from out of her ponytail to frame her face.

It felt just a bit odd to be walking around in their hero costumes for no apparent reason.

It was a lovely day on the island today; the sun was bright with a few clouds in the sky—just enough to keep the air cool and slightly breezy.

The silver buckles that draped just over her ribcage on her costume felt cold against her skin.

Her mother had paid a costume designer who specialized in hero costumes to work with her when Jin first began taking her hero career seriously.

She liked that her costume was simple and not too flashy, but still complemented her Quirk. The brown theme was very representative of her Earth abilities.

It was stylish and still easy to move around in—after all, the most important part of a hero's costume is to enhance your abilities and make it easier for you to do your job.

She wore a black sports bra underneath a brown, cropped collared button up, paired with some khaki shorts with a utility pocket attached to the side that complemented her figure. She sported a cropped jacket as well, with a milk chocolate colored fabric that had sandy color-blocked sleeves.

Her favorite part of the costume was perhaps the socks; she wore dark brown—almost black—socks that went just above her knee, with two buckled utility-themed garters—one on each leg.

Jin felt like they made her legs look very slender, yet her toned thighs were still exposed. She wore gloves most of the time since her Quirk made it easy for her to get cuts and scratches on her skin, but sometimes she liked trying different variations of her hero costume.

Todoroki looked good, as always.

Jin really liked how simple his costume was, and how it kept him safe by helping regulate the fluctuations between his body temperatures.

She especially appreciated how, despite the costume looking like a one-piece jumpsuit, he still looked strong and toned beneath it all. It never swallowed up his form or figure.

As Jin was about to pull out a map of the island from the utility pocket attached to her shorts, the sudden roar of an explosion caused the ground beneath them to rumble.

"Woah!" Jin exclaimed, flinching a bit at the noise. "What was that?!"

Todoroki turned his head behind him to look at one of the arenas located at the center of the island where the sound originated from, confused as well.

"Let's go check it out," he said, walking towards the direction in which he turned.

As Jin and Todoroki approached the rocky gymnasium, they realized a competition of some sort was being held.

"This is amazing!" a female announcer's voice rang through the stadium's speakers. "He cleared it in 15 seconds—first place!"

Jin's eyes widened at what she saw.

Or, rather, _who_ she saw.

"Bakugou?!" she exclaimed to herself. "Woah!"

Todoroki raised his eyebrows as well, though still looking calm and unfazed.

The blonde-haired boy had blasted his way through a number of robots imitating villains sprinkled throughout the arena, and cleared the stage with ease.

Kirishima stood at the edge, watching his friend closely and cheering for him.

Jin blinked in surprise—her classmates were here! What were they doing here?

Before she could call out to them, Bakugou had somehow teleported to the edge of the audience's railing, growling.

This time, Jin's jaw dropped.

"It's Deku!" she gasped. "And Iida! And Momo! And Ochaco! And—oh my gosh what are they all doing here?!"

"Midoriya…" Todoroki murmured from beside Jin, watching the rest of his classmates try to hold Bakugou back from attacking Deku.

Jin was surprised as she watched Deku make his way to the arena, intending to take on the challenge himself.

 _Does he have a death wish? Bakugou's gonna—_

Before she could finish her thought, Deku had blasted through the same number of robot obstacles at the speed of light. For a split second, Jin thought he had even beat Bakugou's record.

Jin's jaw was on the floor now.

"Sixteen seconds!" the announcer yelled in excitement. "Second place!"

When did Deku get so powerful?

"That was amazing!" Jin marveled, unaware of the white and red haired boy standing beside her in an unusual silence.

Jin began to run towards her classmates, excited to greet all of them—and to save Deku from his imminent death as she could already feel Bakugou's blood boiling from meters away.

Before she even made it three meters in, another loud rumble rang through the stadium.

"Wow!" the announcer squealed. "F-Fourteen seconds! He's jumped to the top!"

Jin turned to see none other than Todoroki, freezing the whole arena into a big block of ice—along with the robots in it.

Her heart skipped a beat as he simply got up and turned to look straight at her, his two-toned hair blowing in the wind.

 _He looks… really cool._

"Todoroki-kun!" Deku exclaimed from where he stood, Kirishima, Iida, Jirou, Ochaco, Momo, and a blonde girl with glasses that Jin didn't recognize standing beside him.

It didn't take long for them to spot Jin either.

"Hey, it's Jin!" Kirishima yelled, flashing her a bright smile and waving.

Bakugou's head snapped around at her name, temporarily distracted from glaring at Deku.

It also wasn't difficult for her classmates to put two and two together, since Jin was only standing a couple meters away from Todoroki—arriving at the conclusion that they probably came together.

A couple of explosions later, the hot-headed boy had made his way in front of Todoroki, growling at him.

"HEY, HALF-AND-HALF BASTARD," Bakugou roared.

 _Uh-oh._

"What do you think you're doing, appearing out of nowhere and trying to make everyone think you're cool, huh?!" he barked, as Todoroki ignored his attitude. "Why are you even HERE?!"

"I'm here on behalf of my father, who was invited," Todoroki said coolly, unworried at the creature which slightly resembled a dog that was trying to pick a fight with him.

"You did good though," Jin said sheepishly, trying to prevent a public showdown between her two friends.

The announcer tried to intervene, reminding them that someone else was waiting in line to try the challenge.

"SHUT UP!" Bakugou snapped as she yelped. "I'M GOING NEXT—"

Jin grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him away from the stadium, apologizing to the poor, innocent woman who just saw her life flash before her eyes.

"Oh my god Bakugou stop terrorizing her."

Bakugou continued to thrash around, almost foaming at the mouth. Thank goodness Deku, Kirishima, and Iida quickly ran to her aid.

"Quickly, everyone!" Iida urged. "U.A.'s embarrassing secrets are about to be exposed to the whole world!"

Jin couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous their situation was.

They must seem crazy to the rest of the world, but this was, in fact, very normal for them.

It would probably be weirder if they _weren't_ trying to contain Bakugou in a public space.

"Hey shit head, what do you think you're doing ignoring me when I just complimented you, huh?" Jin scoffed, punching his head full of spikey blonde hair lightly. "Everyone else said hi to me or waved at me already and you haven't even _acknowledged_ me."

"That's what you get for coming with that half-and-half bastard," he cursed, still busy trying to break free from his other classmates' grip on him—they were as tight as if their whole reputation and public image depended on it.

Well, it sort of did.

"Well at least he _invited_ me," Jin condemned, tossing her long ponytail over her shoulders.

She allowed the other three boys to contain Bakugou as she simply walked beside them, with Todoroki trailing behind her.

"LET GO OF ME OR I'LL BURN YOUR ASSES UP," Bakugou roared as Kirishima clung onto his friend for dear life, unwilling to let go.

Bakugou gritted his teeth in annoyance.

Truthfully, he _did_ want Jin to come.

But it didn't seem right that he would completely ignore Kirishima after all that Kirishima's done for him.

Sensing that she might have overdone the sarcasm, Jin leaned in next to Bakugou's ear.

"I'm kidding," she said, rolling her eyes. "Todoroki had an extra ticket, so he gave it to me. I mean, it seems like I would've been the only one without one."

"Hmph."

"I didn't even want to come," she lied. "But now that I've graced you with my presence, BEHAVE, dammit."

"Fuck you," Bakugou snorted.

Though still thrashing around, Kirishima could tell Bakugou had slightly untensed his body against his strong hold.

Kirishima sighed a breath of relief.

Thank goodness Jin always knew how to deal with him.

After ensuring that Bakugou was out of trouble's reach, Jin and Todoroki parted ways with their classmates.

Jirou, Momo, and Ochaco simply giggled as Jin waved goodbye, catching up to Todoroki, who was waiting for her. Iida and Deku watched in confusion, wondering which joke they were missing.

Kirishima promised to watch over Bakugou, as Bakugou growled at him for insinuating that he needed watching over.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bakugou watched Jin walk away, clicking his tongue in irritation.

"What's so good about that bastard anyway?" he scoffed.

As the group all went their separate ways, the day passed by quickly enough.

Before Jin knew it, the sun was beginning to set, its rays painting the island a brilliant gold color.

She and Todoroki returned to their respective hotel rooms, which were conveniently across from each other.

Momo had texted her about a reception party later that night, and told her to wear her formal clothes.

 _Thank goodness I brought one formal outfit_ , Jin thought to herself as she put on the finishing touches of her lipstick. _Imagine if I had to go in my hero costume or leggings…_

Iida had informed Todoroki of the party as well, so he and Jin agreed to meet again at 7 o'clock, so they could reconvene with the rest of their classmates together.

Jin's phone buzzed against the white marble bathroom counter.

[1 New] Todoroki Shouto - 18:50

"Hey. Are you ready?"

Truthfully, Jin was over the moon. Attending the convention with Todoroki, being his plus-one, just doing everything together side-by-side warmed her heart.

She knew she shouldn't overthink it, since it was only natural for them to stick together. She was _his_ guest, after all.

Jin just tried to cherish her time with him as much as she could, and not worry too much about other things.

She immediately typed a response to him.

To: Todoroki Shouto

"Yes! I'm just gonna put on my shoes and I'll be ready"

Just as she put her phone down, the device buzzed again.

[1 New] Todoroki Shouto - 18:52

"Alright. I'll be outside."

Jin glanced at her reflection in the huge bathroom mirror once more, checking her appearance.

She rarely had the chance to attend formal events, let alone with Todoroki and the rest of her classmates, so she wanted to look pretty for once. This would be her chance to really show her feminine side, since they were always so busy training like machines.

Jin took some cash, her phone, and a little bit of makeup to put in her black purse, which complemented the simple little black dress she wore for tonight. It had two thin straps and a sweetheart neckline, with the dress flowing down from her waist.

She thought it made her figure look very flattering, and accessorized with some silver jewelry and a white faux-fur boa. Her hair was now in a half up-do, although the ponytail from earlier in the day had made a slight, but barely noticeable, dent in her shiny, jet-black hair.

As she bent over to slip on her shoes—a pair of chic white high heels with black and red bottoms and black ankle straps—Jin admired the temporary tattoo on her right leg.

She'd always been a bit insecure about her legs since she was quite pale and could never tan properly, but didn't think too much of it since she wore tights at school, and her hero costume covered up most of her skin.

But tights looked a bit off with this dress, so she had no choice but to go bare-legged.

The temporary tattoo of a rose was a gift from one of the shops she recently bought some clothing at, and she didn't think it would come in handy… but she actually kind of liked the way it looked.

 _Maybe I'll get a tattoo in the future._

Sitting on that thought, Jin took her hotel card and opened the door, walking into the hallway.

Todoroki stood between their rooms in the middle with his right side facing her, waiting patiently.

His head turned towards Jin's room at the sound of her door unlocking, and it felt as if time had suddenly slowed down.

Todoroki's eyes widened as Jin stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her.

Even in the dead silence of the hallway, he felt as if music was playing in his ears.

She looked up at him and smiled.

Todoroki's heart pounded loudly against his chest, and his breath hitched in his throat.

She looked _breathtaking_.

He has never been one to think too much about physical appearances, but perhaps this was how people felt when they saw someone they found incredibly attractive.

Has she always looked like this? Why didn't he know what to say?

"What?" Jin asked, starting to get nervous at her friend's silence.

 _Is he upset? Did I take too long?_

"Nothing," Todoroki finally responded, breaking his stare. "You look very nice."

He didn't even realize he'd been holding his breath this whole time.

Jin broke out into the widest grin Todoroki has seen today.

"Really?" she asked, beaming. "Thanks!"

Todoroki simply smiled softly in response.

"Oh, this is for you," he remembered, coming back to his senses.

He handed Jin a single red rose, wrapped in a plastic sheet and tied with a black ribbon.

Jin flushed a bright red.

"Oh my gosh, thank you!" she chirped, taking the flower. "I love roses! Did you know that? I think they're my favorite flower."

"I walked by some flowers being sold, and all the proceeds were going to a charity, so it felt right," Todoroki explained.

"Ohh, I see," Jin murmured, admiring how pretty the red flower was. "It matches my tattoo!"

"Have you always had that?" Todoroki looked down at her leg in surprise.

"No, it's just a temporary one because I thought it would look nice," she said sheepishly.

"I see."

"Todoroki, can you take a picture of me?" she asked, handing him her cellphone. "I'm gonna send it to my family back home."

"Sure."

He took a few steps back and took a couple of pictures of his friend who stood against the tall, deep brown marble-design walls.

She looked so classy, like she belonged in a wealthy family of designers.

Nobody would be able to tell she was a hero.

"Thank you!" she said, taking her phone back to look through the photos. "Oooo, these are good!"

"I'm glad," Todoroki replied, relieved, despite feeling like his photos of her could never do her justice.

Jin spotted an old couple leaving their room, and quickly walked up to them.

"Excuse me," she politely began. "Would you mind taking a few pictures of me and my friend?"

"Oh, of course, darling!" the old woman said, her husband stepping back to give them space as she took Jin's phone from her.

"Jin, you know I'm not really good with photos," Todoroki mumbled, in a slight panic that he would just look awkward next to her.

"Just act natural," Jin reassured him, taking him by the arm to face the camera. "You're attractive, so any photo of you will turn out good."

She avoided eye contact with him at the compliment she slipped in, not noticing Todoroki's cheeks flush red.

"Alright, get ready!" the elderly woman called.

Todoroki stood up straight while Jin scooted closer to him, tilting her body towards him and letting one of her legs stand slightly in front of the other one, elongating her figure.

She placed her outer hand on her hip, while Todoroki's rested gently on her waist.

"One… two… three!"

They saw the flash on Jin's phone go off, as the old woman prepared to take another one.

"You should smile, young man!" she called sweetly. "Or else that handsome face will go to waste!"

Todoroki sighed and did his best to smile, afraid it would come off as a grimace. The edges of his lips curled upwards ever so slightly as the flash went off again.

"Thank you so much!" Jin gushed, bowing to the elderly woman. "Sorry for troubling you."

"No problem at all," she replied, smiling with a twinkle in her eye. "We were once young too, you know. You have to make the most of these memories in the moment!"

Jin laughed in agreement as she and Todoroki walked over to the elevator alongside the elderly couple.

"You two look lovely together," she complimented kindly.

Jin and Todoroki blushed simultaneously as she explained that they were just friends.

The elderly man simply chuckled knowingly alongside his wife, walking into the elevator as it arrived at their floor.

Todoroki waited for Jin to step in before following behind her, his hands in the pockets of his all grey suit.

"Your suit _does_ look really good," she whispered to him casually. "I don't think I've seen you dress up before."

He gave her a small smile.

"Thank you."

Once they arrived at the rendezvous spot, only Iida, Kaminari, and Mineta were there.

Iida's jaw dropped at the sight of Jin, while Kaminari and Mineta had stars in their eyes.

"Y-you look great, Jin-san!" Iida said stiffly.

"Thanks Iida, you do too," Jin laughed.

"Jin-chan, you're soooOoOoOOoo pretty," Kaminari gushed, with what Jin thought was drool coming out of his mouth. "No wonder Bakugou's so whipped for you."

Jin choked on her spit as Mineta cried, "He'd kill you for that one."

"Uh, thanks Denki," she said sheepishly. "I'm pretty sure Bakugou hates me though, haha."

She draped her boa around both her shoulders, feeling slightly uncomfortable standing next to Mineta.

She could feel him eyeing her up and down, but also knew that she couldn't stop anyone from looking at her.

Why did she feel extra exposed standing next to the purple-haired boy?

Why was she even letting a little shit like him make her feel uneasy?

Todoroki, as if also sensing this, came around to Jin's other side, inserting himself between her and Mineta as Mineta went off muttering to himself.

Jin nudged his arm softly in thanks, and he gave her the tiniest, barely noticeable smile in response.

Soon enough, Deku, Uraraka, Momo, and Jirou all arrived.

It was heartwarming to see all her classmates dressed up, and Jin couldn't stop fawning over how cute everyone looked.

"Jin-san, you look incredible!" Momo bubbled, as Uraraka nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"See, dressing up is meant for girls like you," Jirou sighed. "You look like a model, and I can't even get used to these clothes."

"Jirou, what are you saying?" Jin exclaimed. "You look so nice, my heart seriously skipped a beat when I saw you guys."

Jirou blushed at Jin's compliment.

Melissa—the blonde girl who Deku introduced as his friend—arrived as well, and she looked nothing short of stunning.

Part of Jin really wished it wasn't such a field day for Kaminari and Mineta.

"Neither Bakugou nor Kirishima are picking up," Iida sighed, dropping the arm holding his phone in defeat after waiting for what felt like hours.

"Maybe they're just late," Jin reasoned. "Should we just—"

She was cut off by an alarm blaring through the halls.

Her classmates jumped at the noise.

"What's happening?!" Kaminari exclaimed, suddenly alert.

"I-Island is now in high alert mode due to discovery of an explosive on the island," a robotic voice announced through the building's speakers. "Please return indoors and evacuate all public spaces. Anyone still outside ten minutes from now may be arrested without warning. Most of the main buildings will be sealed off as well."

"An explosive?!" Jin cried, shocked.

"Something doesn't feel right," Melissa murmured quietly.

"My phone has no signal anymore," Todoroki commented, checking his device.

"The elevators aren't responding either," Jirou added, tapping the elevator button futilely.

"I don't think an explosive is enough for the island to go on high alert mode," Melissa said, furrowing her brows. "Something is wrong."

* * *

Author's note: Hello readers! Sorry it took me SO long to get a new chapter out omg but I haven't abandoned this fic! I'm determined to finish it since I have so many ideas for where I want the story to go, I just get really busy with school sometimes ;_; I hope you can all bear with me! Thank you for the new reviews that you guys left, it really helped me find motivation to update this story again :') Please leave me comments! I absolutely LOVE reading them, and tell me what you want to see more of so I know what to write! Thank you ^^


	11. Know Your Worth

Chapter song: "Why" by Secondhand Serenade

"Why do you do this to me?"

"You make it hard to smile because you make it hard to breathe."

* * *

"Melissa, what exactly is the top floor?" Jin panted behind her classmates as they continued to run up the emergency stairs.

They realized that Melissa was correct earlier, and something was indeed very wrong. The island had been raided by villains, and All Might, as well as other pro-heroes and civilians attending the reception party, were incapacitated.

The group of friends had decided that, as aspiring heroes, they could not just sit back and watch the villains hold people hostage without doing anything.

"The 200th floor," Melissa responded, her forehead also glistening with sweat.

Jin's and Kaminari's faces both paled at her response.

"Are you serious?!" Kaminari cried, his life visibly flashing before his eyes.

Mineta was also clearly questioning his life choices as well.

"It's better than running into villains," Momo reasoned, urging her friends to continue moving.

Jin could only smile dryly at what their situation has come to—never in a million years would she have imagined that a weekend trip at a fun, exciting convention with Todoroki would result in a mission of saving pro-heroes and civilians as a matter of life or death.

Besides, who's to say there aren't more villains or their henchmen roaming the grounds, ready to apprehend the U.A. students at any moment?

Although being with the rest of her classmates brought her a sense of comfort, Jin's anxiety levels were still through the roof.

She tried to put her mind to running up the stairs and breathing steadily, her black heels in one hand, and white boa in the other.

Jin's endurance was definitely not among the best in her class, but she didn't want to drag anyone down by showing signs of how tired she was getting. She also couldn't use her Quirk to help, as it might cause too much of a ruckus, not to mention she wasn't even sure if her Quirk had the capacity to bring her up 170 flights of stairs.

But that didn't matter, because by the time they reached the 80th floor, of course Mineta had done something dumb and set off the alarm by opening a door.

Realizing now that their time was more limited than ever, the group sprinted through the halls in hopes of reaching the staircases at the opposite side of the building in order to throw off the villains that were already on their way to capture them.

But their opponents were one step ahead.

Wall-like shutters began clamping down from the ceiling and floor at rapid speed in order to trap the group in place.

"Todoroki-kun!" Iida shouted, already sprinting towards the shutters that were getting closer and closer to his friends.

Todoroki understood immediately and, without hesitation, summoned a colossal block of ice to wedge itself between the shutters before they closed as Iida's Quirk allowed him to blast through a wall with one swift, explosive kick—his blue suit pants ripping in the process.

They arrived at the plant factory floor of the building, its interior design looking impressively outdoor-like. It was decorated with green trees and bushes, and Melissa explained that this was where they tested the effects that Quirks had on plants.

"The elevator is coming up!" Jirou yelled, warning her friends. "Everyone hide!"

Realizing the villains were still hot on their trails, they ducked behind a large bush, hoping to evade their pursuers.

As the elevator doors opened, and heavy, menacing footsteps began to approach, everyone tensed. No one dared to make a sound.

"We found you, you damn kids," a threatening voice growled.

Jin subconsciously squeezed Todoroki's sleeve with sweating hands.

He rested a hand on her bare back, bringing her back to her senses.

He looked down as his bi-colored eyes met her brown ones, gesturing for her to stay calm and wait.

Before Jin could respond, she heard a familiar voice growl back a response.

"What did you say, you bastard?"

 _Bakugou…?!_

Jin and Todoroki blinked at each other, both their heads whipping around in synchronization, but neither daring to expose their hiding spot.

As the group of students listened to the exchange between the villains and Bakugou and Kirishima, it was instantly clear that the latter had no idea what was happening with the lockdown.

Hell, they probably didn't even know they were talking to villains.

"You see, we got a bit lost," Kirishima's voice rang through the air sheepishly, trying to explain himself.

"I can see right through you," the gruff voice responded. "Don't lie to me!"

Jin couldn't help but peek over the bush she hid behind, and saw the villain activate his Quirk, his arm turning into a large claw and ripping through his clothes.

He was going to kill them.

Jin gasped.

"No!"

Her arm flew out to activate her Quirk, desperately wanting to summon a wall between the attackers and her friends to protect them.

But Todoroki was one step ahead of her.

He sent a mountain of ice flying in front of Kirishima and Bakugou before the villain's attack reached them, stopping it completely.

The sound of the ice forming sent a sharp ringing through the air, before a total silence fell over them.

"This Quirk…" Bakugou trailed off, his eyes following where the ice originated from.

"Todoroki?!" Kirishima exclaimed.

The hazy mist caused by the ice cleared itself to reveal a panting Todoroki, his breath forming tiny ice crystals in the air.

Bakugou's eyes narrowed at the sight of his classmate, until they looked past him.

Bakugou's eyes widened this time as they landed on the person standing behind the red-and-white-haired boy.

There stood Jin, her black dress flowing gently in the wind, her hair slightly messy from all the running.

For a second, Bakugou thought his heart stopped.

 _Holy shit_.

Her face wore a look of concern and relief as she stared at him, their eyes levelling with each other's.

Bakugou took a sharp breath.

He may or may not have thought that Jin was cute before, but looking at her in that moment, she was fucking _beautiful_.

Maybe his chest was starting to feel tight from all the adrenaline rushing through his body given the current situation, but, really, he couldn't tell.

Either way, something was just rubbing him the wrong way, seeing her and the half-cold-half-hot bastard together.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Todoroki's ice traveling towards the rest of his classmates at full speed.

A large mass of ice began to lift Jin and her other friends off the ground while Kirishima and Bakugou watched.

"We'll stall for time here," he said. "Look for a way to get to the top!"

"What about you?!" Jin cried, startled and slightly bothered that Todoroki didn't want her to stay and help.

"I'm fine, just go!" he yelled, the ice moving upwards towards the top of the tower.

"But—"

"I'll be right behind you after I clean this up," he reassured her, cutting her off. Todoroki watched Jin move further and further away from him, her expression unreadable.

Truthfully, he knew that he, Kirishima, and Bakugou could probably easily deal with these two villains, but he still thought disabling the security system might be a safer job than fighting right now.

Bakugou clicked his tongue in irritation.

 _Who does this guy think he is? Trying to act all cool and shit._

"Be careful!" Jin called from above them, locking eyes with Bakugou.

He rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm not the one you need to be telling that, you damn loser!" he yelled back at her, side-eyeing Todoroki.

As her friends grew smaller and smaller, Jin finally turned away from the edge of the ice.

She could understand why Todoroki didn't want her to help.

Jin frowned as her hands rested against the freezing, smooth ice that still hasn't stopped lifting the group of friends upwards.

She couldn't imagine her Earth Quirk ever even being able to compete with the likes of Todoroki's power; it was evident that he didn't need her.

Jin's stomach twisted into a knot as she realized that she would probably end up dragging him down if she'd stayed.

She had always admired his bravery and determination, and despite wanting to help him because she cared about him so much, Jin reminded herself that she needed to be realistic.

After all, what could she possibly do for him?

How laughable.

Jin snapped back to reality as she saw Iida and Deku run around trying to find a way to the security room.

Everyone had begun climbing the emergency evacuation ladder up the tower, with Mineta being sent through a vent to climb up the outside of the building so he could unlock the door for everybody else at the top.

Meanwhile, puffs of smoke blew out from explosion after explosion as Kirishima, Bakugou, and Todoroki fought their opponents.

Bakugou was already a little annoyed earlier, and this seemed like the perfect way to blow off some steam.

They defeated the villains with no injuries, but realized things were beginning to get serious as hoards of armed security bots made their way towards them.

"They must've realized we're U.A. students," Todoroki muttered, getting into a fighting stance.

"Like you needed to tell me that," Bakugou snapped. "Let's just get rid of these annoying pieces of shit already."

"Yes, we need to catch up to Jin and the others," Todoroki reminded. "Be careful."

"Don't," Bakugou fumed. "Tell. Me. What. To. DO."

With that last word, he blasted his way towards the bots, ready to demolish each and every one of them, as Todoroki and Kirishima followed closely behind him.

* * *

Author's note: Hi everyone, wow look! A consistent update LOL. Who would've thought. Sorry this was kind of a short chapter with not much happening, I'm having a bit of writer's block so it's not all that original LMAO. I'm hoping to wrap up this movie arc by the next chapter but please let me know if there's anything (e.g. scenarios, interactions, etc) that you wanna see! I love reading comments :')


	12. Just In Time

Chapter song: "like i need u" - keshi

"You don't need me like I need you… pray that I won't be alone."

"We're better on our own."

* * *

Jin wiped the sweat from her brow as she ran behind Ochaco, Deku, and Melissa. Her heart raced at the thought of the classmates that they had left behind—the bots were closing in on them, and they seemed endless.

Iida had told Deku to take Melissa and find a different route to access the security system, and Melissa asked Ochaco and Jin to come along as well.

Jin prayed that her friends would be okay.

She knew better than to doubt them—after all, she needed to have faith in her peers who have trained to become heroes alongside her. But she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something might happen to them. She would be devastated.

What about Todoroki? The way he just pushed her away—and what about Bakugou?

But this was no time to be thinking about that. They had a mission to accomplish.

"If we can just get to that emergency exit…" Melissa murmured urgently, snapping Jin out of her thoughts.

Jin followed Melissa's gaze at the exit she spoke of—it was at least a few hundred feet up the tower.

"All the way up there?" Deku trailed off, echoing Jin's exact concern.

Luckily, with Ochaco's Quirk, it wouldn't be a problem.

As Melissa climbed onto Deku's back so he could carry her up the tower together, Ochaco got to work. A pink glow emitted from her hands as she placed them on Melissa's back, causing her and Deku to slowly float off the ground.

Jin kept an eye out for all the doors and exits, on edge for when more of the attacking bots would appear—or worse, villains.

Surely enough, as soon as Deku and Melissa began to float towards the high emergency exit, the doors slid open, granting access to a hoard of the deadly red machines.

"Ochaco! Jin!" Deku cried worriedly, watching the bots advance towards them.

"Release your Quirk and run away!" Melissa yelled out, concerned that she would have to watch her friends suffer before her eyes.

But Jin knew that wasn't possible.

If Ochaco released her Quirk, both Deku and Melissa would fall to their deaths from such a great height.

And there's no way Ochaco would simply give up like that—not the Ochaco that Jin knew.

"I can't!" Ochaco shouted definitively. "We have to save everyone!"

"Don't worry, I got it," Jin called out to her friends, using her Earth Quirk to summon dirt blocks from the ground and obliterating the first row of machines heading towards them. "Just go and don't look back!"

Jin tried to stay as calm as she could, her black hair fluttering with the wind cast from her attacks. She winced at the pain of the pieces of gravel and rock cutting up her legs, hands, and fingers.

She had tied her white boa around her right arm hoping it would shield her dominant arm from a bit of the damage, but it didn't help much.

She should have known better to think she could go one night without bringing gloves, but who knew a building filled with pro heroes would still be seized and jeopardized?

Jin combatted the machines relentlessly, varying her forms of attack, trying to slow them down. She continued to summon blocks of gravel to hurl at them and surmounted walls of the earth from beneath her feet to keep the bots from reaching them, but they were starting to get too fast.

Jin bit her lip watching the machines move closer and closer, not wanting to think about what would happen if she allowed them to break down her defense barrier—the only thing keeping her and Ochaco safe.

 _Why am I so fucking weak?_

She gritted her teeth.

If she had a strong Quirk like Deku's, smashing anything in sight, or an explosive one like Bakugou's, where nothing could stand in his way—or even simply having anywhere near the magnitude of power that Todoroki possessed… maybe she would actually be able to protect her friends.

Hell, even if she was Momo, she'd be able to make a damn cannon or something.

Jin scowled, demolishing another row of the bots with her frustration and anger projecting through her Quirk.

The sound of two more doors sliding open behind Jin caused her eyes to widen, as she turned to see another ocean of machines heading towards her and Ochaco—who was still fixated on helping Deku and Melissa float safely.

"Shit," Jin muttered.

She only had two hands.

She was still busy with the situation in front of her, but the bots approaching her from behind were getting nearer and nearer.

Jin broke her gaze away for a split second to use one hand to summon another wall of gravel from the ground to hopefully shield herself from the attack, making it as thick and dense as she could—but her power and strength were limited.

As she turned back around to continue destroying the machines closing in on them on front of her, she heard the ones from behind smash through the barrier she created.

She wondered if this would be her end.

 _Sorry, Ochaco. I wish I was stronger, but I failed you._

Jin just hoped the machines would attack her first instead of her friend, so that Ochaco still had a couple of seconds more to get Deku and Melissa to safety.

 _Who did she think she was? Trying to become a hero. She didn't even have the power to protect her friends._

"Jin!" Deku cried out, as Melissa screeched.

Jin squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for impact from behind.

BOOM!

She flinched at the sound of a huge explosion just a couple feet from her back, little pieces of metal flying everywhere.

"Kacchan!" Deku yelled, with relief and joy.

Jin opened her eyes and turned around to see the familiar blonde-haired boy flying through the air as he disintegrated a bot that was heading straight for her.

He wore a devilish smile, his body clearly rushing with adrenaline. Honestly, he looked good in action—it's like he was made to be a hero.

"Bakugou!" Jin gasped.

She was so relieved. And happy.

She was so happy to see him, to see that he was okay, and he was here to help.

"CAN YOU WATCH YOUR BACK, YOU DAMN LOSER?" Bakugou barked at Jin, though too excited at having more bots to fight to be genuinely angry at her.

"I have you," she grinned, able to focus on the attackers in front of her now that Bakugou could cover for her.

"Tch," he scoffed.

"Kirishima-kun! Todoroki-kun!" Ochaco yelled, as the two other boys ran towards them in aid.

Jin's eyes widened as she simply stared, letting out another sigh of relief that her other two friends were okay.

She felt like an idiot for even doubting their abilities and their safety—not everyone lacked power like she did.

"Jin!" Todoroki called as he approached them. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she smiled at him as his shoulders relaxed.

"You wouldn't have been if I didn't fucking get here in time!" Bakugou snapped, already irritated again.

"Well I'm fine now, and you're here now, right?" she grinned at him again as he fumed at her.

Todoroki's eyes narrowed for a split second at her words.

 _She wouldn't have been?_ He echoed Bakugou's words in his head.

Could she have been hurt, if they had gotten here a second later? Or worse… killed?

"Uraraka, are you okay?" Todoroki turned to ask Ochaco as she nodded in response.

Deku and Melissa were still well on their way up the tower.

"We're going to stop these guys right here and now," Todoroki growled, summoning an enormous mountain of ice, wiping out rows of the attacking bots at a time.

Jin was silent, watching Todoroki help protect them.

He was so strong, and his suit was untouched—even Kirishima and Bakugou had the sleeves of their clothing ripped off from using their Quirks.

 _Todoroki just makes everything look so easy._

"Don't tell me what to do!" Bakugou bellowed, blasting away another number of machines.

 _And Bakugou is always so unfazed no matter what opponent he's up against._

Jin clenched her fists without even realizing it, slamming a block of earth into a bot, wrecking it and several more lined up behind it.

"But you guys do make a good team!" Kirishima commented, fighting his own opponents in the background.

"As if!" Bakugou roared, snapping Jin out of her thoughts.

She couldn't stifle her chuckle-snort.

Bakugou was still the same—he always will be.

She was so thankful to have her friends here. To be able to fight with them side-by-side. To know that they cared for her safety.

This was why she was at U.A.

Jin would never forget that.

"Deku! Melissa!" Ochaco cried, causing Jin to snap her head up to look at her two still airborne friends.

A strong gust of wind had carried them off course, leading them towards the rest of the open city instead of going up the tower.

Oh no.

"Bakugou!" Todoroki yelled urgently, taking off his grey blazer and throwing it aside. "Aim the propeller at Midoriya!"

"I said… DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Bakugou cursed, thought cooperating and aiming a blast at the colossal air propeller towards Deku and Melissa.

Todoroki took a deep breath and cast a flame towards the propeller that was so massive, so tremendous, it resembled the firey breath of a mythical dragon of sorts.

Jin's jaw dropped.

Todoroki was using… his left side?

But surely enough, the hot wind carried Deku and Melissa back on track and away from the city as a result.

 _He came up with that on the spot?_

It was in that moment that Jin knew, Todoroki was, without a doubt, out of her league. She could train her whole life, and there was no way she'd ever be able to compete against someone like him.

 _Some people are just born different._

Jin watched as the bright orange flames lit up her friend's face, casting a golden glow over him.

He was beautiful. Breathtaking.

She didn't even feel the pain of the blood trickling down her arms and legs from overuse of her Quirk.

Jin's expression was unreadable as she turned away, eyes glued to the floor.

* * *

Author's note: Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update, there's been a lot of things going on so writing was a bit difficult... this chapter's a little on the shorter side & so is the next one, so I'll post that as soon as I can to make up for it ^^ Let me know what you think!


	13. Desire (NSFW)

Chapter song: "Pony" - Ginuwine

"I'm just a bachelor, I'm looking for a partner: someone who knows how to ride."

"The things I would do to you, you and your body—every single portion. Send chills up and down your spine, juice flowing down your thigh."

* * *

Sirens blared in the background as the aftermath of the nerve-racking battle between Deku, All Might, and the villain Wolfram—who turned out to be the mastermind behind the whole event—panned out.

Jin had never seen anything like it before.

Wolfram had taken Melissa's father, David, hostage, and amplified his own Quirk's power to create a gigantic metal body that seemed capable of world domination.

But after watching Deku and All Might combine powers to defeat Wolfram with overwhelming strength and simultaneously freeing David, Jin realized that the extent of Deku's power did not stop at simply smashing through buildings.

What she witnessed that night was a display of unbelievable, sheer strength.

The raw power Deku had alone, then paired with the power of the greatest hero of their time, was something to be truly feared and admired.

Jin glanced down at her own hand, bruised and cut up from overuse of her Quirk, wondering if she would ever be capable of such power.

Probably not.

A sharp pain searing through her forearm snapped Jin out of her thoughts, causing her to wince.

"Sorry," Todoroki murmured. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, don't worry," Jin responded. "Thanks for bandaging me up."

She sat leaning against a wall away from the debris and chaos, as reporters began to show up to catch everything on camera.

Some of her classmates were being interviewed, and she could hear Bakugou yelling at another reporter from a mile away.

Todoroki kneeled beside Jin on one knee, wrapping her arms and legs up with white bandages and gauze after disinfecting her wounds.

"Well you probably wouldn't be able to do it yourself properly, with your hands in that condition," he commented, reaching for her right hand. "I didn't know your Quirk could do this to you."

"I mean it's rare that I have to use it for this long and to that kind of extent," she explained. "I don't know why I didn't think to bring gloves either to prevent all the little rocks and stuff from scratching me… I just thought we'd have a good time at a nice reception dinner with All Might, y'know?"

Todoroki was silent as he finished disinfecting Jin's remaining hand and began to wrap the long, white bandage around it.

"If I hadn't gotten there earlier, Bakugou said you would have been in trouble," he said quietly, eyes not meeting hers.

Jin sighed and gently patted the top of his red-and-white-colored head, flicking his forehead slightly when he glanced up at the contact.

"We're literally training to be heroes, Shouto," she said. "We'll be in danger our whole lives, probably. It's my responsibility if I'm not strong enough to protect myself or other people, so I'll just have to keep training."

Todoroki didn't answer her as he finished bandaging her arm.

Jin had mixed feelings about Todoroki feeling like it was his responsibility to protect her—on one hand, she was touched that he cared so much about her safety.

On the other hand, she felt incompetent and guilty—if she were more capable, maybe Todoroki wouldn't see her as helpless.

"We should really talk to the hero costume designers from the school and see if they can modify your costume to reduce the damage your skin takes from your Earth Quirk, like how mine regulates my body temperature."

Todoroki finally looked back up at her, only to notice the edge of Jin's mouth bleeding from a cut, probably due to the pieces of rock and metal flying around during battle.

"Hold on, you're bleeding here too," Todoroki said, reaching back into the first aid kit he retrieved from the medical supply building.

"Oh, okay."

Jin winced as Todoroki took a q-tip and cleaned the wound with a bit of water, before picking out a couple microscopic pieces of dirt from the wound with a pair of disinfected tweezers.

Her eyes began to tear up without her realizing as Todoroki applied an antibiotic ointment over the edge of her mouth, which stung quite a bit.

Jin silently observed Todoroki's face as he tended to hers; the way his two-toned hair fell gently over his eyes was so captivating.

Before she formed any other thoughts, Jin was distracted by Todoroki's arms as her eyes traveled down to his biceps.

God _damn_.

Todoroki had burnt the top half of his suit off when he used his left side earlier to help Deku and Melissa float back on track with the hot air from the propeller, revealing his bare arm.

Jin was never fazed by particularly muscular men, but she had to admit that the sight of Todoroki's arm could definitely be considered a treat for the eyes.

He was toned, but not bulky, and the veins traveling down his forearm were prominent, but not overbearing.

Jin blinked and looked up at the ceiling, trying not to stare.

But nothing could stop the heat from creeping up her face.

That was, until she noticed Todoroki staring as well.

He seemed lost in thought as he stared at Jin's lips, a bandage still in hand.

This brought a deep flush over Jin's face.

When Todoroki realized he'd been staring, he immediately took the bandage and placed it over the cut, the color of his cheeks changing as well.

He couldn't explain the subtle feeling of desire he felt in his chest just now, but it felt like something he had to hide.

"Thanks," Jin said awkwardly, her fingers brushing over the small bandage Todoroki applied to the corner of her mouth, who simply nodded just as awkwardly in response.

Not knowing what to say, Jin scanned the area to take in all that was happening.

She noticed a female reporter talking into her microphone as a large, heavy-duty camera was pointed towards her, with Jin and Todoroki in the background.

"Hey look, we're on TV!" Jin grinned, tugging at Todoroki's arm excitedly.

Todoroki stared blankly at where Jin was pointing.

"Honestly, I don't think anyone will notice us," he commented.

Truthfully, he really didn't.

Todoroki had seen enough camera flashes and big crowds growing up with his father as the number two hero, but he did think Jin's excitement for such a trivial thing was just a little endearing.

"You're such a party-pooper," Jin said, rolling her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Todoroki asked.

 _A party… what?_

But his friend didn't hear him, as she was busy waving her bandaged hand to the camera standing a couple hundred feet away from them.

Jin's maturity was one of the things Todoroki liked about her, but she really did just seem like a child sometimes too.

Todoroki simply looked into the camera with a deadpan gaze, as Jin continued to smile and wave.

* * *

Dabi blew out a puff of smoke in the darkness as the television light lit up his face, one arm resting behind his head.

He sat in between a cheap motel mattress and tousled blankets and sheets, his partner for the night asleep beside him.

The long, black-haired woman sighed, turning onto her side as Dabi increased the television volume.

He didn't care too much for the news, but it seemed like the news was begging him to pay attention tonight.

The infamous I-Island had been attacked, and it just so happened that All Might, along with quite a few students from the _prestigious_ U.A. school were there as well.

"As you can see behind me, the attack has left chaos and debris at the scene," the female reporter in a blazer said in her professional monologue.

His eyebrow raised at the sight of what panned across the screen.

People were scattered everywhere, some being interviewed, some talking to others, some just standing around.

But one person stood out to him—or, rather, two people.

He'd recognize that face anywhere.

Surely enough, it was none other than Jin, wearing that stupid smile as she waved excitedly to the camera.

Dabi smirked to himself at the sight of her, realizing he hadn't seen her in a while.

Admittedly, he missed seeing that pretty little thing around sometimes.

 _I was wondering where she'd gone_ , he thought to himself, taking a sip of the whiskey from beside his bed. _She was out being a hero on I-Island, eh?_

Dabi wondered how bad the attack was, as her arms and legs were all bandaged up.

But what tiny smirk had creeped up onto his lips was immediately wiped away when Dabi saw who was beside her.

 _This guy…_

Dabi stared at the red-and-white-haired boy through his bright, turquoise orbs. He wasn't that much younger than Dabi, kneeling beside Jin on one knee.

They haven't even met yet, but the sight of him left a sour taste in Dabi's mouth.

Taking another hit of his cigarette, Dabi watched Jin giggle to the person beside her, who just stared at her blankly.

 _Fucking moron._

Dabi emotionlessly turned off the television with the remote and put his glass of whiskey down, hitting the bedside table with a bit more force than intended.

He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair slowly, dragging out his breath as he exhaled another puff of smoke.

He put out the cigarette and moved towards the sleeping woman on his left, moving her black locks out of the way to expose her smooth, bare neck.

Dabi didn't used to have a type when it came to women, but it seemed like recently he was always sleeping with women who had… pretty similar features.

He began planting kisses from the nape of her neck down to her shoulders, his calloused hands rousing her from her sleep as they slinked up from her sides, to her breasts.

The woman groaned softly, slowly starting to grind her body against his.

"Damn boo, you wanna go for _another_ round?" she breathed, though not complaining. "Even some of my more intense clients don't have stamina like yours—"

"Well it's not like you don't want to," Dabi grinned devilishly, his other hand finding its way between her legs, already growing in heat. "You're the one who came to me, aren't you?"

He was only met with more heavy breathing in response as he continued to massage her breasts and thighs.

Dabi wasn't particularly sure why, but his sex drive has been through the roof recently.

In the past, he would only hook up with people when he needed to blow off some steam, maybe once a week or two.

But this was already the third person he was sleeping with this week. And when he didn't feel like going out, he'd just jack off a couple times and call it a day.

Sure, he lived with Toga and Switch, but Toga was a psycho who was definitely a too young for him, and Switch, well… he didn't want to make things complicated by sleeping with her.

"Well you're just so irresistible," the woman flirted, turning towards Dabi and pushing him on his back so she could climb on top of him.

Dabi was easy on the eyes, so hookers and prostitutes of sorts were always drawn to a creature of the night who reeked of danger like him.

No one seemed to care what he did for a living either—it's not like their work was legal, and he was hot, so as long as they could fuck then both parties were happy.

Well, as happy as possible on Dabi's side, since his desire never seemed to be fully satiated these days.

Was having sex with so many women still not enough for him? Was it the quality of the sex? Or the people?

Dabi rested his head against the backboard with both hands behind his head as his partner's lips met the tip of his cock.

He exhaled at the warm feeling of her mouth wrapping around him, closing his eyes in an attempt to enjoy what was essentially free sex.

If there was someone he could choose to fuck, no questions asked, it would be Jin.

He wondered if she tasted as sweet as she looked.

Dabi grabbed a handful of the woman's hair as she continued to suck, tugging her head, and almost imagining it was Jin between his legs.

"Good girl," he purred, as she moaned in a muffled voice, mouth full.

Dabi wondered what Jin's body count was.

She seemed like the innocent type, so he wouldn't be surprised if she was a virgin—that would, of course, absolutely delight him.

But he supposed she was still a woman, so her having slept with a couple of people before also wouldn't be completely out of the question.

He wondered if she'd slept with that stupid blonde kid he ran into at the convenience store last time, or if she'd hooked up that guy with the two different hair colors he saw on TV beside her.

 _Dumbasses._

If Dabi wasn't a villain and had the chance to be around her all the time, he would've fucked her senseless countless times already.

Unaware of his own irritation, Dabi began thrusting himself into his partner's mouth, face-fucking her.

She whimpered trying to catch up with his pace, until Dabi finally came, shooting his load all over her face and chest.

He was still feeling annoyed, but the orgasm that washed over him did take the edge off a bit.

"Come here," he ordered, as the woman obeyed.

"Someone's a bit rough," she smirked, crawling up to him.

As soon as she was within reach, he flipped her onto her back against the bed, pressing sloppy kisses against her skin from between her breasts, to her stomach, down to her inner thighs.

Dabi sat back up and gave his member a few pumps, still covered in cum and saliva, before lining it up with her entrance.

Without a word of warning, Dabi slid himself into the woman swiftly with expertise as she let out a high-pitched moan.

He didn't wait for her to adjust to his large size before pulling out and thrusting into her again. And again. And again, without hesitation.

The woman's dark brown eyes rolled back in ecstasy as she squirmed futilely beneath the larger man above her.

Dabi had his hand clasped around her neck as he pushed himself into her relentlessly, her wrists pinned above her head with his other.

The bedframe slammed against the wall repeatedly while the bed creaked like an old door hinge as he continued to ram himself into her.

Dabi was usually too jaded to do angry sex, but he wasn't going to lie—he was feeling kind of pissed off tonight.

Looks like his partner was in for a rough treat.

* * *

Author's note: Hello readers! Wow I totally did not intend to write a NSFW scene today but it just kind of came out LOL. Hope you all liked it! I definitely see Dabi as more of a horny shit so I like writing that kind of stuff for him, so you can probably expect more of that in the future… Anyway I'm working on the next chapter already! It'll be a short one so hopefully I can post it soon. Please leave me comments, I love reading them :-)


	14. Aphrodisiac

Chapter song: "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry

"I knew you were gonna come to me—and here you are, but you better choose carefully… because I'm capable of anything and everything."

"Make me your Aphrodite, make me your one and only."

* * *

Switch sat at her vanity desk and stared at her reflection in the large oval mirror through her doey, hazel eyes..

Her pale, porcelain skin resembled that of a doll's, and her wavy ginger-red hair flowed down her back like a fiery waterfall. Her fingers feathered across her cheek as she admired her own beauty—she looked alluring and enchanting, and she knew it.

Switch blinked and turned her head to the doorway, seeing Shigaraki standing there with a briefcase in hand.

"I'm going out to take care of something," he said with a hoarse voice, his other hand slinking up his neck to scratch at the already-irritated skin. "Divide this new batch of serum into vials like you usually do and make sure everyone gets their share."

Switch smiled sweetly as she stood up and walked to the doorway, taking the briefcase from Shigaraki.

"Will do, Captain," she cooed. "Should I leave yours on your desk like always?"

"Where else would you put it?" he muttered, turning to leave.

His eyes lingered a moment longer on the redhead, but Switch's smile never faltered until she watched Shigaraki disappear through the hideout's door.

After the door closed, Switch made eye contact with Kurogiri, who was just wiping down the bar counter.

"Looks like it's just you and me," he commented, turning around to place a glass back into the cabinet.

"Really?" Switch raised her brow, walking over to him. "Where's Toga?"

"Who knows where that child is," Kurogiri sighed. "Probably out causing mischief, but not _too_ much mischief—Shigaraki's not having any of that."

Switch smiled.

"She's young, she should be allowed to have her fun," she proclaimed.

"Well Dabi's not young and he's still out having his fun, what about that?" Kurogiri replied, putting the cloth he used to wipe the counters away. "Can I get you anything to drink, miss?"

"I'll have a vodka cranberry, thank you very much," Switch purred.

"Coming right up."

She smiled at Kurogiri as he prepared her drink, the liquid in the glass redder than her hair.

Kurogiri slid her drink to her across the counter as Switch winked at him, taking the drink with her to her room.

She placed the glass down along with Shigaraki's briefcase and opened it, taking a sip of her drink while she did so.

Switch admired the contents of the briefcase.

A large glass bottle seemingly glowed with the familiar yellow-greenish liquid it held, and the compartment beside it contained many clean sterile syringes, enough for each member of the League.

She opened her desk drawer to take out a new pair of latex gloves from the cabinet, and got to work.

Although Shigaraki never seemed to like Switch, it was undeniable that she was the best fit for this job—she was careful, meticulous, and made sure every member received the proper amount of the serum every time.

They'd been working at this project for a few months now.

It all began when Shigaraki introduced the League to a mysterious serum he received from a supplier, and refused to disclose exactly where and who he got it from.

He had told the League members that the serum amplified your Quirk's power by two to three times, which immediately prompted a scoff from Dabi.

Dabi was put in his place after a quick demonstration of Shigaraki's Quirk's new magnitude.

After having his shirt disintegrated off his body in the blink of an eye, Dabi was quick to pounce at the opportunity to try the serum as well—and who could blame him? With Dabi's powerful blue flames, there was no telling just how strong he could become if they were multiplied in both strength and quantity.

Since then, after a long process of trial and error, the League has concluded that one vial of the serum—which they'd jokingly nicknamed "Boost Juice"—once a month through injection was both the most efficient and effective way to use it.

And they have seen results that were no short of satisfactory.

Shigaraki's Decay Quirk has increased in speed, taking only twice the time it needs to disintegrate something. Kurogiri could warp a much larger area than previously, and provide more exits as well. Toga needs less blood to maintain the same amount of time in a duplicate form, just like how Switch can remain in here target's body for twice as long after injecting the serum. And of course, Dabi's flames were burned even brighter, faster, and deadlier than before.

It seemed to be getting nearer and nearer to the next step in the League's plan—they were simply waiting for Shigaraki to say the words now.

Switch hummed a little tune to herself as she finished dividing up the serum, with each member receiving three vials to last them three months. Shigaraki didn't mention that there would be extra this time, so Switch simply continued to pour them into small vials until they ran out—there were three perfect portions of leftover juice.

She pressed her lips against Dabi's vial in a little kiss, before gathering the tiny glass tubes to deliver to each villain's room.

On her way out of her own room, she took some herbs and essential oils as well.

Her little _gifts_.

After delivering Toga and Kurogiri's serums (to which he immediately began to inject), Switch visited Shigaraki's room next, placing the three vials in the center of his large, wooden desk.

She took out a small stalk of sage & lit it with a bit of fire, letting the gentle aroma travel around Shigaraki's room. She then placed a small sprig of lavender just beside his pillow so it was barely noticeable.

 _Consider it a gift._

Shigaraki has been quite on edge and more anxious than usual lately, and Switch always chose sage and lavender as her default scents for de-stressing and relieving anxiety.

She had also previously left rosemary and helichrysum in Kurogiri's room for helping with burnout and fatigue, but he didn't know that.

Last on the list, was Dabi's room.

Switch took her time walking through his door, taking in the simple layout.

Dabi didn't have many needs, and he wasn't at the hideout too often anyway—that's why it was always so hard for Switch to get her hands on him.

She loved this mysterious, dark man, but he never seemed to let her get too close.

Whenever she'd flirt with him, bat her pretty eyelashes, let her hand linger for a bit on his leg, he always seemed to find a way to distract her with a coy comment before slinking away.

Switch wanted to follow him wherever he went—patrolling, running errands, or even just whatever he did in his own time at night—but he was much better at losing people than she was at tailing them.

She wanted him to be hers, but he was just always so out of her reach.

So Switch decided to take matters into her own hands.

She would _make_ him want her. Desire her. Crave her.

After putting Dabi's three vials of serum on his desk, she wandered around his room, looking for new spots to place her weapon—tribulus terrestris.

Tribulus terrestris, also known as puncture vine, goat's head, or bindii, is part of the family _Zygophyllaceae_ —native to warm temperate and tropical regions. It had a history of being used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, and was linked to arousing sexual instinct and inducing sexual desire.

It increased sexual pleasure and performance, and Switch has been working on this blend for quite some time now. However long Dabi has neglected her was however long she'd been perfecting this plant and aroma blend.

With tribulus terrestris being the primary ingredient, she also included traces of safed musli ( _chlorophytum borivilianum_ ), mondia whitei, and ginseng.

She'd been placing little packs of this herbal blend throughout Dabi's room in areas he wouldn't notice, brushing it over his clothes in microscopic amounts, letting the scent ease its way into his life. Every week or so, whenever given the chance, she'd replace the dried up scent packs with fresh ones to ensure optimal performance.

Switch had been carrying out this little project of hers for a few weeks now, and it was undeniably working on him.

Dabi would go into his room and shut the room more often, and sometimes, if Switch was quiet enough and pressed her ear to the door, she could hear him moaning and panting while pleasuring himself.

It took all of Switch's self control and more, to not open his door and simply fuck him there.

She knew Dabi needed to come to _her_.

His libido levels were through the roof, and sooner or later he'd have to find a way to satiate his growing hunger for sex.

Maybe he was trying to settle for casual hookups with prostitutes for now, but Switch knew that he would come around in the end—after all, she was irresistible.

With the way she looked, no man would be able to refuse her—she could have anyone she wanted.

Anyone but Dabi.

But now, things would be different. All she had to do was wait.

However, waiting was getting more and more difficult.

She was growing impatient. Frustrated.

The more she sensed Dabi become growingly attached to that girl from U.A., she felt she was losing him. Since then, she'd doubled the amount of the scented blend she'd leave in his room.

He may be horny as an animal as a result, but she had no other choice.

Some may think her methods of attaining what she wanted were unethical, but they were _villains_ —was anything they did ethical?

Switch simply believed she was acting out of love.

After all, the word aphrodisiac was derived from the name of Aphrodite—the Greek goddess of love.

She was certain that Aphrodite would agree that, for love, sometimes one must do _whatever_ it takes.

* * *

Author's note: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the late update omg I've been incredibly busy lately but I'm trying to get back into writing ? There's just so much I want to write, and although this chapter is short, it's kind of packed with important information! Things will definitely start to pick up from here, and it's important to the plot development ;) Let me know what you think!


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